Baby Steps
by LilyGhost
Summary: Stephanie gets some unexpected news that will forever alter her and Ranger's lives. This is my view of how Stephanie and Ranger, along with the Rangeman crew, will react to, and deal with, the news of an impending baby.
1. Chapter 1

**I give a lot of credit to the writers on this site who can work on one story at a time because my brain doesn't seem capable of doing that, so this will be my go-to story when I need a break from my two on-going ones. So far this is looking like the only story I'll have with a Ranger/Stephanie baby, because I'm still not sure if I see them having one, but I have no intention of turning Steph into Valerie, or making Stephanie and Ranger's life similar to the one Joe wanted with Stephanie. All familiar characters belong to Janet.**

**Chapter 1**

Holy Fucking Crap! I'm in deep shit. And for the first time, Ranger can't save me. I wasn't being kidnapped again. No one was threatening to disembowel me. No, it's worse. Much, _much_ worse. I just came out of an examination room in my doctor's office and I'm pregnant. Yes, _pregnant_. I sat down hard in one of the chairs in the waiting area. Still too shocked to save my breakdown until I was alone in my car. How could this have happened? Well, I know _how _it happened, but I'd like to know _why _it had to happen to _me_. I did what I thought I was supposed to do and yet here I am, forced to eat for two now and actually be eating for _two_. _Holy shit!_

"Are you all right, Mrs. Plum?" The receptionist asked.

And therein lies another problem. I wasn't a_ Mrs_._ Anything_. And I was going to have a baby with my boyfriend who never expressed any interest in having more children. Julie is his first and, until today, _only_ child. Crap. Crap._ DOUBLE CRAP!_

"You look pale, do you need me to get the doctor?" The annoyingly nice woman asked.

I managed to unclamp my lips. "No."

"Then would you like me to call someone for you?"

I suppose it's sweet of her to offer, but what was I going to do? Have her call up Ranger and ask him to come pick me up because I was flipping out over the news that I'm carrying his child? That would be one hell of a way for him to find out that he's going to be a father for the second time.

"Umm, that's okay," I said, taking deep breaths through my nose to stem the hysterics."I'll be fine in a couple of minutes."

She smiled reassuringly at me and went back behind the partition, separating the nutso pregnant woman from the lucky ovulating one.

Now I was left by myself to wonder what the heck I was supposed to do now. I was solely responsible for another person's life. Which is really bad, since I still congratulate myself for keeping Rex alive.

I blew out a sigh, forced myself to stand, and headed for the door. If I stayed any longer I was afraid my mother would be called to collect me. Oh God, my mother! First Valerie and now me. Both daughters pregnant and unmarried. Well, Valerie eventually married Albert, but it had still been after the fact. My mom will have to move away from the Burg as soon as the news hits. Hmm, maybe there was a bright side to this pregnancy thing after all.

I looked over my shoulder at the place where my life had just been forever changed. At least Susie wasn't working today. Now I would have a few hours before everyone knew about this. A whole day if I was careful. The lady at the desk waved at me, the phone to her ear, probably talking to someone who couldn't wait to make an appointment to see if there'd be a new addition to their family. Or I suppose it could just as well be someone with a bad case of hemorrhoids.

I got the hell of there, but I couldn't help but feel a little envious of someone who could just feel happy about being pregnant without worrying that they wouldn't be able to take care of a baby, or that their family would be horrified, or being nervous about telling the father of the baby that he was going to be one all over again.

I walked down the hall and took the elevator back to the ground floor. I unlocked the Cayenne that I'd borrowed from Ranger this morning, since my car was sounding clankier than usual, and climbed inside. Great. I didn't even have a working car. You need a reliable car if you have a baby. Everyone knows that. And in a couple of months, I was going to have to figure out how to install a car seat into one. This was getting more and more complicated the longer I thought about it. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on my crappy car. It_ did _work, but I wasn't positive that it would tomorrow.

I sat for a minute trying to decide where to go. Maybe I should give myself some time to absorb this before I approached Ranger. I haven't been sleeping at my apartment, but I could still go there or I could take a trip to Point Pleasant where no one would be able to reach me until I was ready to talk. The mall was definitely out of the question, with all the stupid stores filled with baby clothes and special furniture that I'd have to start thinking about. Crap again.

In the end, I decided just to head back to Rangeman. I could try to keep this from Ranger until I could discuss it without hyperventilating, but there was really no point. Ranger would know something's up with me the second I was in his airspace. And I've been staying at his apartment more and more over the last couple of months, if I suddenly disappeared, or he was unable to reach me, he'd have my - his - car tracked and then I'd have to explain why I decided to hide somewhere instead of talking to him. I'd rather face Ranger with this than have him think that I was running away from him.

I turned the key in the ignition and drove carefully through the Burg. I kept an eye on every light, passing car, and turn signal. The last thing I needed right now is to get into an accident because I was too distracted to drive.

I'd been holding things together pretty well since leaving the doctor's office until I parked in the underground garage in Ranger's building. As soon as I turned the car off, I started to shake. Which made me remember something the doctor said about trying to control my stress. She knew what I did for a living - what I_ had _been doing for a living - I guess I just lost my bounty hunting job. Considering how many times I've fallen, been hit, and shot at, it wasn't safe to continue doing it while carrying a baby.

I'd taken a quick glance at one of the brochures the doctor had given me before I left the room, and I was pretty sure I've done everything wrong already. And some of the descriptions in there of what my body was going to go through sounded physically impossible to me, but I was supposed to go through all of them for this baby. _Our _baby. Oh God. I needed Ranger. If anyone had a chance of talking me down it'd be him. I hit one and waited for him to answer.

"Ranger, I need you," I said, blowing any hope I had of controlling my emotions, and having a rational conversation, as soon as I heard his signature "Yo".

"Babe, what is it?" I heard him speak to someone before getting back to me. "Hal says you're sitting in the garage. What's going on?"

"I can't say on the phone," I told him, trying to keep the terrified warble out of my voice.

Jesus Christ, Stephanie, I told myself, grow a pair already. It's not like I was given a death sentence. Or maybe I have been, since the life I've been living is about to end.

"Is someone there with you?" He asked.

Great. I have him thinking that I'm being held hostage.

"No."

"Okay, Babe," Ranger said, and I could hear the sound of a metal door closing. I was guessing he was already in the stairwell. "Hold on. I'll be right down."

Telling myself that I didn't have to think about this anymore until Ranger got to the garage, I rested my forehead against the steering wheel and waited for him.

The driver's side door was opened all too soon. "Babe, talk to me. Are you hurt?" Ranger asked, helping me out of the car, and scanning my body for injuries.

It was probably a similar scan of my body that got us into this.

"I'm _something_," I said to him, "but I'm not hurt."

"Babe …"

"I don't want to do this on camera," I told him, nodding to the security camera trained on us. "I'll explain everything when we get upstairs."

"We're good, right?" He asked.

I just kept screwing this up. Now, he was thinking I was going to pull a Morelli on him, and complicate the great relationship we have together. Which, now that I think about it, I _was_, but not intentionally.

"Ranger, I'll never mean it more when I say that I don't want _anything_ to change between us."

He brushed his lips over mine and escorted me to the elevator.

I recognize the fact that I'm completely overreacting. I mean, women have babies all the time, whether or not they were expecting them or if they could be good parents or not. I've seen plenty of reality shows to know that a lot of people _should_ have thought twice about bringing a child into the world. I'm sure Ranger and I can figure this out. How bad could it be? I should have known not to ask that, because every talk show I've ever watched involving troubled kids flashed one by one in my brain. I really should watch less television, I thought to myself. I couldn't do this. I couldn't raise a normal, happy child, free of the same doubts and insecurities I've been struggling with. Oh God, what if I turned into my mother? I might have whimpered, because Ranger paused before walking out of the elevator.

"Come on, Steph," he said, catching my wrist in his hand and tugging me out of the elevator. "I want to know why you're acting like this."

"Okay," I said to his back as he unlocked the door, "you asked for it."

As soon as the door was closed behind us, I leaned against it for support and just spit it out, not giving myself a chance to chicken out.

"I'm pregnant," I told him, just as my knees gave out again as if this is the first time I'd heard that today.

Ranger caught me before my butt touched carpet. He wrapped his arms securely around my waist and looked into my frightened eyes.

"How?" He asked.

That's what I had wanted to know, too. I was always on the pill. Have been for more years than I could remember. And granted, I didn't take it the same exact second every day, but it was within ten minutes of the day before. I'm so freakin' glad that all my diligence paid off.

"The doctor told me that even with taking the pill there is still a very small risk of becoming pregnant. Why didn't they put that in the product warning?"

"They do, Babe."

"Huh," I said. "I never noticed. I just thought that if a doctor gave you pills to prevent pregnancy, then that actually meant they _prevented_ it. Stupid me."

"It's more like they lessen the chances dramatically," Ranger said.

"Damn. I was all set to blame your bionic sperm for this. But it's probably my own crappy luck. Seriously, only eight out of a hundred people get knocked up while taking birth control pills and I have to be one of them? I shouldn't be that surprised, though. I don't want a FTA to shoot at me, and he fires off a couple of rounds at my head. I pray that there isn't a bomb in a building, and the frickin' thing blows up thirty seconds later. I've always been terrified of having a child, and I hear 'congratulations, you're going to have a baby, Mrs. Plum'. Maybe I should have switched to an IUD and made you use condoms, too. Lots and lots of condoms."

"Steph."

"Right. That won't help us now, will it?"

"This isn't your fault, Babe," Ranger said, tilting my chin up. "If anyone's to blame it's me. I've already gone through this and I should have known better, but I didn't want anything at all between us, even a condom."

I certainly enjoyed - _enjoyed_ not being a strong enough word to describe how much I've savored every time I'd been with Ranger - and I guess we'll be paying the price for all of that pleasure now.

"What do you want to do?" Ranger asked me, his eyes locked on mine.

His expression didn't change, but I could almost feel the tension radiating from his big body. I knew that particular question was coming, and I already made a decision. Now I just had to live with it.

"I know there are ways of making this go away, but I wouldn't be able to go through with any of them. I couldn't forget about a baby we created. I'm scared to death of having a kid, Ranger, but I don't see that I have many alternatives."

"Stephanie, we'll get through this," Ranger said, his shoulders now relaxing. "_Together_. You're not doing this alone."

"I'm glad you said that, because if you pulled the_ I'll be in the wind _routine, I was going to have an uncomfortable talk with Tank and demand that he give me the name of the person who can keep your ass here with me where it belonged."

"I'm not going anywhere, Babe."

"Good. I'm going to need every bit of help I can get. I suck with kids. I'm okay with my nieces, but I didn't have to do any of the hard stuff. I only colored with them and pretended to eat Play-Doh food. Valerie and my mom did everything else. Now I just watch movies with them and buy the girls presents. My mom and Valerie still handle all the kid maintenance." I dropped my forehead against Ranger's chest and spoke into his T-shirt. "I can't even play tic-tac-toe with Lisa without trying to beat her. I know I should let her win because she's just a kid, but I can't. What kind of mother will I be if I can't even lose to a child at a stupid game I don't care about?"

"Stephanie, you are one of the most caring people I know," Ranger said, softly. "Any child would be lucky to have you for a mother."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. Who was the first one to check on Vince when he got into a fight with a skip last month?"

"I was just keeping him company until Hal could drive him to the hospital," I told Ranger.

"And who's the one who convinced him to go to the hospital to get checked out when he initially refused to?"

"I might have nagged him into it."

"And if you hadn't," Ranger said, "he never would have known that he'd cracked a rib. And knowing Vince, he would have been in the gym the next morning causing even more damage to himself."

"Okay, so I can badger someone," I told Ranger, "but I know from thirty years experience, that having the ability to wear another person down doesn't make you a good mother."

"No, it doesn't," he said to me. "But you aren't your mother, Steph."

I was all ears. Anything that suggested my mother and I were nothing alike is worth hearing.

"What would you do if someone threatened me?" He asked.

"I'd threaten them right back, and then make whoever it was severely regret doing it," I told him.

There is nothing I wouldn't do to protect Ranger.

"And if someone accused one of the men of something?"

"They'd better be ready to take me on, because I wouldn't stop until I proved that they were completely innocent."

The Rangemen would never do anything that wasn't morally right.

"And if Valerie or your nieces needed help?"

"I'd be there for them any way that I could," I said.

"Stephanie, what makes you so special is that you don't judge people without trying to get to know them first, and you're always willing to stick your neck out for someone, even knowing that you'll get nothing in return except the little bit of comfort from doing the right thing," Ranger said, causing my eyes to water which made his beautiful face blurry. "It's that kind of love, dedication, and loyalty that will make you an outstanding mother, Steph, once you get used to the idea."

"I don't know if I _want_ to get used to the idea," I said.

"I don't see that you have a choice," Ranger told me.

"That's why I'm freaking out. There are so many thoughts running through my mind, that I don't even know what to focus on first."

"Start with what the doctor said."

"She gave me a prescription for prenatal vitamins and a bunch of stuff to read."

"We'll go through everything tonight, and I'll pick up the vitamins when I'm sure you're not going to lock yourself in the bathroom the second you're alone."

"That's still possible," I told him. "So don't leave yet."

"I won't, Babe."

"Not that it would matter if I _did _lock myself in there," I told him. "You'd just magically open the door and drag me out."

"That is true, but I'd prefer you thinking that I'd _gently pick you up _instead of_ drag _you."

That was sweet of him to say. I blew out a breath and tried to get my brain cells working again.

"Am I going to need to find a doctor outside of Trenton?" I asked him. "I don't want my weight announced to the Burg every time I have an appointment."

"I'll find one that you won't have to worry about."

Oh fuck. My weight. I'm going to get huge. I saw what Valerie went through, both with gaining and losing weight, and Lisa kicked the crap out of our Hungarian metabolism with no obvious effort.

"Ranger, I don't want to look like a white whale," I said.

Even though I knew I sounded whiny, I couldn't shut my mouth up.

"What are you talking about?" Ranger asked, wanting clarification before he decided how to answer. "What makes you think you'll look like a white whale?"

"When Valerie was planning her wedding, she said she got so big that she looked like a white whale in her wedding gown. I wasn't as stupid as Albert to say something about it, but Valerie was definitely carrying around a lot more than what Lisa weighed when she was born. I know it sounds superficial, but I have enough trouble keeping off the five pounds of fast food grease every month. What am I going to do when that five pounds turns to thirty? Or, God forbid, the _fifty_ Valerie gained."

"Babe, Valerie was enjoying her pregnancy, and all the cravings that came with it," Ranger told me. "If you don't want to gain anything more than what the baby requires, you just have to eat food that is nutritious for the both of you, and work out as much, and for as long, as you can without harming yourself or the baby."

"Ranger, I've heard plenty of stories of feeling bloated, throwing up constantly, and being constantly tired. How am I going to work out and eat right when all of that starts? I wasn't eating healthy or exercising_ before _I got pregnant."

"You have to decide if you want to do a little everyday now, or do a lot more later on."

"That's not fair," I said. "Why don't _you _have to go through any of this? This is just as much _your_ doing as mine. And you're going to stay perfect while I get fat and crazy. I'm the one who is going to have to search every store across Trenton for maternity clothes that aren't hideous, all the while attempting to control my mood swings and trying to prevent stretch marks from forming. I read a little bit of what the doctor gave me and, truth is, I'm not excited about any of it."

Then it hit me. Stretch marks! My eyes opened wide. I don't want stretch marks. I want _my_ body back. _Now_. I took a step away from Ranger and turned, hiding my face in my hands.

Ranger tried to head off my impending panic attack.

"Breathe, Stephanie," he said, coming up behind me.

And for the first time since I told him, Ranger rested his palm against my stomach. I think he was trying to communicate with the baby already. Oh God, _the baby!_

"Deep breaths, Babe," Ranger said, against my ear.

I swear the jerk was smiling.

"I know you've been through this before, and it isn't as shocking to you, but I've spent close to a decade telling_ everybody _that I probably wasn't going to have kids. _Ever_. And now my body went ahead and created one without my permission."

"You gave_ me _permission and that's what got us into this situation."

That got a small smile out of me. I turned in his arms and looked up at him.

"Yeah, you should have had more self-control."

"Now isn't the time to remind you, Babe, but you've been doing your share of initiating things between us."

"I would say that I'll stop doing that, but I think it's a little too late to correct it."

"I don't want you to correct that. I like knowing that you can't keep your hands off of my body," he said to me, wolf grin in place.

"You're going to have to share me now. Are you prepared for that? You won't be the center of my attention anymore."

"I disagree," Ranger told me. "As long as I'm helping you with the baby, and am always close by, I'll be reminding you everyday why you chose me in the first place."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down again. Ranger didn't sound upset, or like he was going to leave me to figure this out all on my own. Maybe, just maybe, I'll live through this.

I tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I promise, Ranger, I'll be better tomorrow."

Ranger drew me tighter to his body. "Take all the time you need, Steph," he said, softly. "This isn't a race or a contest. There is no right or wrong way to deal with something this big."

"_Right_. I'm sure our kid is going to love the story of his or her mother scaring the poor office lady. She was so concerned about my mental stability, she made a point of asking me if there was someone she could call to take me off her hands."

"Which leads me to my next question, whydidn'tyou call me?"

"Do I have to answer that?" I asked him.

"You don't_ have _to do anything," Ranger said, "but I'd like to know."

Jeez, did he have to be so freakin' understanding? Now I _really_ feel like a horrible person. I didn't deserve Ranger _or _a kid.

"I actually thought for a minute that if only me and the people at the office knew, then this wouldn't be happening. I figured as soon as I told someone, that alone would somehow make it real."

"Babe."

"I know. How stupid is that?" I asked. "Nothing would have changed by telling you, but I wasn't ready to face it."

"I'm sorry I wasn't with you," Ranger said, resting his chin on the top of my head.

"There was no reason for you to be," I told him. I didn't want him to start feeling guilty, too. "I thought the worst thing that would happen today is that Dr. Klenshir would tell me that I'd have to have a pelvic exam. Which she _did,_ and I walked out knowing that I'm in charge of growing, and then raising, another human being. In case you were wondering, there is no shot to counteract shock ... I asked."

"Don't take all of this on yourself, Stephanie. I'm also responsible. I have to keep the two of you healthy and safe."

I tipped my head back and narrowed my eyes slightly. "Oh no you don't. I need at least another day before you start on the safety lectures. I know I'll have to think about my job soon, but I'm not up to making those types of decisions today. I heard people say that it takes a village to raise a child, and I have a feeling in this case it's going to take the whole frickin' building."

"I'm going to have to set some guidelines with the men when we tell them," Ranger said to me.

"Why?"

"First off, I'm going to have to make sure they don't accidentally crush you or the baby with their over-enthusiastic congratulations. You know how they feel about you, and this is going to get them excited. They're like overgrown children themselves sometimes. In certain instances, they don't know how to contain their feelings."

"They're not _that_ bad," I told Ranger. "I didn't even know half of them could speak for a couple months after meeting them, let alone what they were feeling."

"That's the problem, once they get comfortable around you, you can't shut them up. And I'm going to warn you in advance, they'll be hovering. All of them will be more protective, and they are likely to show you too much attention."

"That doesn't sound too bad," I said. "So if I want a sandwich all I'll have to do is mention it and it'll appear in front of me?"

"That's how it will start," Ranger said, "but by the time you're showing, you may have one or two of them standing like sentinels by the doorway of your cubby. Ready to leap into action anytime they think you need help with something. And they'll be the ones deciding what you'll need help with."

My eyes flew open in horror. "You're kidding, right? They wouldn't really go that far, would they?"

"I'm afraid so, Babe. There is nothing they can do to help with the pregnancy, or with our child until he or she is born, so you'll get the brunt of it."

"Can't you just order them not to do it?"

"Not in this case," he told me."They see you as their friend, and they are all going to want to take care of you. And I can't say that I'm upset about it. But if they do get out of hand, and you start feeling stressed or anxious, I want you to tell me immediately and I'll get them to back off. Ella might be a problem, though."

She would be since Ranger couldn't, and _wouldn't, _beat the snot out of her. The guys he had less of a problem disciplining.

"I'm sure they'll be okay. They've been pretty good so far about listening to me, except for when they're playing bodyguard."

"Steph, they aren't playing."

"I know. And I'm not really looking forward to that. _All_ of you are bad now, if there's a baby added into the security precautions you have for me, I'm not going to be able to pee without a written and notarized consent form from the higher-ups."

"It won't get to that point," Ranger said.

"Promise?"

"No."

"That's what I thought," I told him.

I could read people, too. Maybe not as well as Ranger, but I understood that me and this baby just became Rangeman's top priority. I've been at the top of the list ever since he opened Rangeman, so this automatically doubled up everything they were already doing regarding me.

"You said that the doctor gave you an information packet," Ranger said. "Where is it?"

"In my bag," I told him, and disengaged myself from his arms to walk back to the door where I dropped it.

I dug out all the pamphlets and gave them to Ranger. He thumbed through one of them, before looking at me again.

"When did the doctor say you're due?" Ranger asked me.

Ranger still seemed remarkably calm which I thought made me look like an irrational nutjob by comparison. I couldn't detect any nerves from him. And I appreciated it. If he had freaked out, I'd have used him to distract myself and would have gone off on him. I couldn't have handled us both flipping out at the same time. Of course, he had been through this once before, but this would be different. He wasn't going to be in another country during my pregnancy like he was with Rachel's. I narrowed my eyes at him. He'd better not have plans, or orders, or _anything else _in another country. He'd just convinced me that I wasn't going to be doing this alone, and that is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. Though I have no idea what Ranger will do when the hormones kick in. I would have gladly offered to go into multiple war-torn countries unarmed if it meant I could've gotten away from Valerie when she was pregnant with Lisa. Ranger might end up feeling the same way. I wonder if he'd notice if I accidentally lost his cell. That probably wouldn't help anyway, Ranger would most likely have a backup signalling device somewhere. Damn. There was the nausea again. And it wasn't being caused by the baby. Well, not directly anyway.

"April 1st," I told him, getting back to his question. "_April Fools_."

I had to like this kid already just for that. Combining mine and Ranger's genes might prove to be too much for everyone to deal with. At least there was a chance that if he or she did blow up the world, they'd be able to survive and build it back up from nothing. I tended to destroy things while Ranger spent his life staying alive and rebuilding his life when he needed to. Like today for instance. He was now going to alter his business, his schedule, and his life to put up with me and to take care of a baby he hadn't planned on.

He studied my face without saying anything for a full minute. "You're not kidding, are you?"

"No. I wish I was."

"Only you, Babe."

"You mean, only_ us_. I had help," I told him. "The doctor asked me when my last period was and I told her that it was at the end of June. That's how I found out I was pregnant. Turns out if you take too long to answer a question a doctor asks you, they decide that you need to have tests you don't want done. When it took me a few minutes to remember that I didn't have a period after that, Dr. Klenshir thought I should take a pregnancy test to rule that out before she started to get concerned that I had something else going on."

"And you had no idea that you were pregnant?" Ranger asked me.

"No. My period, like everything else about me, isn't normal. I didn't I even notice that I missed the frickin' thing, so it didn't occur to me to be worried. I probably wouldn't have known I was pregnant until the kid popped out. Aside from the fact I've been a little achier after I've been out all day, and noticing my jeans were a tiny bit snug, I don't have any symptoms at all. I hope that's going to continue. I don't want to be throwing up everyday."

"That would make you around five weeks?" Ranger asked me.

Not only is Ranger well-built, his brain is big, too.

"Just about," I told him. "Give or take a couple of days."

"Why were you at the doctors?" He asked. "You didn't tell me you were feeling sick?"

"I wasn't. My mother was on my case about making an appointment. She bumped into Susie Belanger - who is one of the receptionists at Dr. Klenshir's office - at the deli. Not thinking about what saying something to my mother would do to me, Susie casually mentioned that I haven't been in to see Dr. Klenshir in a while, so I made a stupid appointment just to shut my mother up. I forgot all about it until they called to remind me yesterday. And now, thanks to them, I'm freakin' pregnant."

"You are pregnant with or without the appointment, Babe."

I glared at him."It still hasn't sunk in yet. I might need another week or two to fully comprehend what this actually means."

"At least we know," Ranger said, "and we can plan accordingly."

"Yeah, we know._ Yay_."

"Steph."

"My mother's going to love this," I told him, cringing in advance thinking about that conversation.

"We have more serious concerns than your mother," Ranger said.

"Tell me about it," I muttered under my breath.

I blew out another sigh and lifted my head again, not taking my eyes from Ranger's face. My overloaded brain still hadn't caught up to all the changes that were about to happen to me, my body, my job, and our relationship.

"Shit," I said, with feeling. My second, or was it_ third_, meltdown started as everything we still have left to think about came rushing back to me. "What are we going to do, Ranger?"

"We're going to have a baby, Babe."

Heaven help us all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for your support of this story. I really appreciate the story alerts, favorite adds, and your reviews. Especially the ones from those of you who don't usually read baby stories, but were still willing to give mine a shot. I hope this chapter won't disappoint anybody and will make everyone look forward to chapter three. All characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine. Warnings for mild smut.**

**Chapter 2**

Ranger put his arm around me and led me to the couch in the living room before I had a chance to go nuts again. I kicked off my sneakers and curled up next to him with my feet tucked underneath me and my head close to Ranger's so I could also look at what he was holding.

I managed to read only up to the next few weeks. I couldn't get any further than that. Maybe I was going to have to take this pregnancy on a week-to-week basis.

"Okay, that's all I can process at the moment. It seems like I just traded my period for months of PMS on steroids. Sore boobs, constant up and down moods, headaches, and I get to gain weight, too. This is going to be fun," I said, with a heaping dose of sarcasm. "I'm guessing that's why they make most babies cute, so you actually want to go through all of this crap to have one. I'm still not completely convinced that the cuteness will make up for it, though."

"I'm sure we'll be able to find something to help alleviate any symptoms you have," Ranger said.

"Somehow, I doubt it. My period alone was horrible but, after this, I swear to God I'll never complain about cramps again. I'll see them as a blessing." I blew out one last calming breath. "Okay, now that the shock of this has lessened a little, you can start telling me how you're really feeling. You've already heard everything that's going through my mind. It's your turn."

"I'm only focusing on the fact that we have a baby to think about now," Ranger told me.

I wasn't letting him get away with that answer. I sat up and then plopped my ass in his lap. I wanted to be able to see his face while we talked. Ranger never gave anything away, but in case he slipped up today, I wanted to catch whatever emotion he happened to show. Ranger's right arm circled around my back and he rested his left hand on my thigh, so I knew he really wasn't holding this pregnancy thing against me.

"That's a very good way of telling me _something _without actually telling me_ anything_," I said to Ranger, not making light of anything this time. "I thought we were past that."

"It's not productive to play _what if, _Steph, or waste time trying to change something that can't be changed. I'm going to concentrate on keeping you from going crazy, and the baby protected, and take this one day at a time."

"Sort of like battling an addiction?" I asked.

"The only thing I'm addicted to is you, Stephanie. And that is something I definitely don't want to battle."

"You're trying to sweet-talk your way out of an important question. You've always said that you don't want kids, and I feel like I'm forcing you into a life you don't want."

"Did you purposely get pregnant?" He asked me.

"_God no! _I'd still like to go back in time a few hours when I _wasn't_ pregnant."

"Babe."

"Fine. I was _technically_ pregnant this morning, but I didn't know I was and that's almost the same thing. I'd like to say that I can take care of the baby on my own if you didn't want part of raising a kid, but I can't. If you did dump me because of this, I was going to move onto plan B and tell Tank and Ella about the baby and then move myself into a fourth floor apartment. I bet I'm going to need round the clock support. And if I couldn't get it from you, I was going for the next best thing."

I couldn't tell if Ranger thought I was joking or not, and that was probably due to the fact that I wasn't even sure if I really was.

"I never would have dumped you, Babe," Ranger said. "I don't want Morelli raising my child."

The slight crinkling around his eyes let me know he was kidding, but that didn't stop me from punching him. Hard.

"You know I haven't seen Morelli for weeks even before we went out," I said to Ranger. "And from what I hear, he's been very busy forgetting all about me. So Joe coming into contact with _our _child isn't likely to happen."

"I think it's more that he's_ trying _to forget about you, Steph. And I know Morelli won't be around because I wouldn't leave you to raise the baby on your own," Ranger said, pulling me closer and linking his fingers over my hip. "I've fucked up our relationship enough in the past and I'm not going to do that again by acting like an asshole about this. I could have used protection and I chose not to, so that makes _me_ just as responsible for this. You could easily be upset at me right now for getting you pregnant."

"I suppose that's true," I told him, "but I want you to know that I'm not."

"You didn't want kids, and yet you're going to go through with having one. Why would you think I'd do anything less? I was in the service when Rachel was pregnant, so being there wasn't an option even if we wanted to stay together. Which I knew for a fact, we didn't."

I shifted until I found a more comfortable position and stretched my legs out onto the couch next to us.

"Well, your history aside," I said to him. "You're a still a _guy_. And men are known for running as soon as talk of a potential baby starts, and this is the _second_ baby you weren't expecting. It's only natural to think that you'd be a flight risk."

"Weren't you thinking of running?" He asked me.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have helped. Wherever_ I _go, this baby goes. If you left, your life would go on as usual. I don't have that luxury now."

"If I'm being honest, I wasn't planning on any children beyond Julie, but that doesn't matter now. I've tried living without you and I didn't like _my life _or _myself _very much during it. I'm not putting us through that again, so we'll need to figure out a way of making this work."

"How? I have no idea what I'm doing. And I don't want you only _tolerating_ this baby because you feel obligated to."

"I don't have a lot of experience with children, Babe, but I do love Julie. And I'll love this baby, too. If he or she is anything at all like you, it will be impossible not to."

I smiled at him. "You don't know it, but you're also pretty lovable. Even though you're cocky and tend to be a know-it-all."

"I'm _cocky_ in more ways than one, Babe."

I rolled my eyes. Ranger humor. But he _is_ right. And I know just how freakin' lucky I am on the days, and nights, he proves just how 'cocky' he is.

"I can't help it if I'm good at everything I do, Steph," Ranger continued like he wasn't aware of my escalating pulse. "Why should I try to hide it?"

Good question. One I never had to ask myself, that's for sure.

I tucked my head back into him and sighed against his chest. "Are we going to survive this?" I asked, needing Ranger to tell me that our_ relationship _would survive.

"Babe, look at me," Ranger said.

I met his eyes and waited to hear what he was going to say.

"The fact that you're having a baby almost against your will ..."

"Ranger ..."

"Stephanie, let me finish. You deciding to go ahead with this even though you're scared, makes me respect the hell out of you."

"There's nothing to respect, Ranger. You probably won't believe it, but I was actually calmer when you saw me," I told him. "I don't think I can be a good mother. I'm afraid that a baby will change things between us. And I'm terrified of losing what I've worked for because of a baby I hadn't anticipated."

"And yet you still want to have it."

"Yes. I guess I do."

"Steph, if you stopped being so hard on yourself, you'd realize that you can do anything you want to. And probably do it better than anyone else. The baby_ will _change things, but it could also bring us closer. We'll have to band together to keep this kid out of trouble and away from Bobby and Lester."

I laughed. I couldn't picture Lester with a baby. It _would_ be pretty funny to see him get peed on or spit up on, though. I remember Albert being covered in some type of baby juice for the first month of Lisa's life.

"I see that smile, Babe," Ranger said. "Do I need to warn Santos?"

"Not yet."

"And you won't lose who you are, Stephanie. You still work for Rangeman. And although you won't be doing the apprehensions yourself, you can do all the legwork leading up to them. You have better luck, and sharper instincts, than half the men here and we could use you to track down our FTAs for us, which will cut down on the amount of overtime the men have to put in when we're understaffed. We can figure out more places for you to help out in the next couple of months. You won't just be sitting around watching everyone else doing things. I expect you to work like you always have. It isn't good for me, you, or the city of Trenton if you find yourself getting bored."

He wasn't exaggerating. Bored equaled trouble when it came to me.

I kissed the spot where Ranger's T-shirt met his skin. "And here I was thinking you'd take pity on me, and let me just lounge around the apartment while I'm pregnant."

"Not going to happen, Steph."

"Thank you, Ranger. I needed to hear that."

"I know you did, Babe. We have time to iron out the details. I don't know when you want to tell everybody, but I'd feel better if the men knew about the baby as soon as possible," Ranger said. "That will keep you safer in the long run."

"But once they know," I said to him, "word will get out and my family will hear about it. The guys are pretty good at keeping secrets, but it's bound to leak, and they'll be hurt if they find out about it from someone else."

"I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it was important," he told me.

"That's why I'm considering it. It seems weird to tell everyone when I can barely say it myself. And the doctor said that most couples wait until the second trimester to tell people, when most of the danger has passed."

"You're going to do everything you can to take care of yourself and the baby. If anything happens, it will have been beyond our control. And I think making sure you're being looked after, and not having the stress of trying to hide this, will be easier on both of you."

"I suppose that makes sense. Okay, tomorrow we'll tell the guys and swear them to secrecy, then maybe I'll have a few hours before I have to tell my parents."

"There's something else I'd like to discuss," Ranger said.

"What can we possibly have left?"

"I don't know how you're going to feel about this, but I want us to get married."

I whipped my head up from its spot on his chest and stared at Ranger. That might have shocked me even more than the news about the baby.

"You're kidding me?" I said.

"No, Babe. I'm dead serious. If I agreed to marry a woman I barely knew because of a baby, I'm sure as hell going to marry the woman I love when she's carrying my child."

"But you don't have to Ranger," I told him. "I'm fine with how things are. You already promised to be here for us, and that's enough for me."

"I'm going to do more than that. I want to marry you, Stephanie …"

"Yeah, I get it, because of the baby."

"No, Babe. I can give you plenty of reasons why I would want to, the baby is just the most pressing one. We can wait a little while if you want to plan something, but I'd like to do it soon."

"How about tomorrow then?" I asked.

I'm already having a kid with him, and that made signing a marriage license much less terrifying now. I don't understand why people think getting married is more of a commitment than making a baby with someone. This kid is, and will be, the scariest thing I'll ever have to face. Everything else is minor in comparison.

"Tomorrow?" He asked.

I think I surprised him again. I didn't want an elaborate wedding. I didn't want to look for a dress. And I didn't have the brainpower to think about a wedding_ and _a baby. If getting married is that important to Ranger ... the clothes, place, and time didn't matter to me.

"Yes. We can go down to the courthouse first thing in the morning and then come back here and tell the guys." I smiled. "Besides, it will be fun to tell my mother about the baby, and wait until after she flips out to let her know that we're already married. We may need to have an ambulance waiting outside."

"You're an evil woman, Babe," Ranger said, brushing his lips across mine.

"And you love me for it," I told him.

"I love you for a lot more than that," he said, his voice soft.

This time it was_ my _mouth that landed on his.

When my lips were tingling nicely, I pulled back and looked up at him.

"Can we actually get married in less than twenty-four hours?" I asked. "Isn't there some paperwork that has to be filled out and filed, or a waiting period?"

"I'm sure I can find a way around it," he said.

"And we don't have rings, either. It sounded so simple a minute ago but, obviously, I didn't give this enough thought."

"I don't_ want _you to give it too much thought. You already said yes, and I'm not letting you second guess it now."

"I'm not. It's just that I didn't consider everything else."

"Just leave everything to me."

"About the rings ..."

"Already taken care of, Babe," he said, and I was momentarily distracted by the sexy grin on his face. "I told you that I wouldn't mind marrying you, but you never showed any interest in it before so I never brought the subject up. I _was_ prepared if you ever decided that it was important for us to go ahead and do it."

"Wow, you really weren't going to ditch me, were you?"

"No, Steph. I wasn't."

He picked me up, deposited me onto the couch, and disappeared into the bedroom. He came back out a minute later carrying a small ring box in his hand. I didn't want to do something embarrassing like launch myself at him or babble like a nervous idiot, so I bit my lip hard to keep my emotions from spilling out while he walked back to the couch.

He sat down beside me and took my hand in his.

"Stephanie Plum, will you marry me and be the mother of my child?" He asked, his lips threatening to smile again.

"Very funny. _Yes_ to the first question, and I guess I have to say yes to the second one, too, since we already got a jump-start on making one. Stupid freakin' pills," I said for the hundredth time today.

Then I forgot all about the pills when Ranger flipped the box open and showed me the most beautiful diamond ring I've ever seen.

Before I even touched it, I looked steadily into Ranger's eyes. "Ranger, I don't need a ring for an engagement that will only last a day."

"I intended you to have the ring, if you wanted it, before this happened, and I expect you to wear it now."

"Yes, Sir," I said with a mock salute, feeling more normal than I had all day as he slipped it on my finger.

It had a large round diamond surrounded by smaller ones that continued on down the thin platinum band. We hadn't turned on the light in the living room, but the ring sparkled even without it. As I looked closer at it, I could see a small diamond set low into the bottom of the band that only the person buying, or wearing, the ring would most likely see. I like jewelry as much as any woman, but I was tempted to give it back to Ranger so I wouldn't lose it or get it dirty. I have a feeling Ranger wouldn't be thrilled with me doing that, so I kept my mouth shut about how much I didn't deserve something like this.

"Don't even think about taking it off, Babe," Ranger said, watching my face closely.

"I wasn't going to. I was just_ thinking _about it."

"And I want you to stop it. It stays on your finger. The only time that ring can come off is tomorrow when I put on the matching one."

"If I was into weird twists of fate, this would actually be pretty funny. You told me once that the kind of love you felt for me didn't call for a ring, but a condom would come in handy. If we would have used the condoms, you wouldn't be giving me a ring now."

"Only because I never figured we were the type of people who cared about rings. I don't need someone else to define what we feel for each other, but I had this," Ranger said, lifting up my hand and sliding his thumb over the large diamond, "in case you ever felt that you needed proof that I do love you in_ all _ways."

"You've already proven that, Ranger. More than I ever have. When did you buy it?" I asked him. "You did_ buy _it, right?"

"Yes, Steph, I _bought _it. I wouldn't give you a hot ring. I even have the receipt if you want to take a look at it."

"Just checking."

There's no way I was checking out how much something like this costs. Ranger has expensive taste, so it had to have been a lot. If I saw the amount in black and white, I was afraid I'd wait until Ranger was asleep and then hide it in the apartment just so I wouldn't do anything to it. If I can annihilate a car, something this tiny didn't stand a chance. And I was willing to bet if I did that, it would just piss Ranger off. As delicious as Ranger is 99.9% of the time, an _angry_ Ranger is best to avoid.

"At least you'll be able to give Morelli an honest answer when he asks."

"I haven't cared about what Joe thinks for a long time," I told Ranger. "I still hate that he feels like he's better than you, though."

"No one's better than me, Babe."

"No kidding," I said, giving him a long overdue kiss.

There really wasn't a man better, least of all Joe. I was starting to think Ranger may actually be all right with this situation even though it's far from his first choice.

"How long have you had the ring?" I asked again.

"I got it the day after our first dinner together. I wanted to be sure Morelli was out of the way for good before I asked you out on a real date. That's why it took me so long to do what we both wanted."

"You had this hidden in the apartment all that time?" I asked him.

"Yes. I kept it in the gun safe since that's the only place I knew you wouldn't find it."

It was a good hiding place. I hate the very idea of guns. And having a couple of them in one place made me extremely nervous, so I avoided his safe and the firing range anytime I could.

"This day is just one surprise after another," I said to Ranger.

"That is an understatement."

"_You _knew about the rings, so you're one up on me. I've been knocked for a loop twice today."

"But I didn't know if you'd accept them," he told me. "You were more vocal than even_ I _was about not wanting to be tied down."

For some reason, the thought of being 'tied down' by Ranger didn't sound as bad as it should have.

"You must be feeling better, Babe, because I'm very familiar with that particular look," Ranger said, his lips curved into a small smile.

"I _am_ suddenly filled with something other than dread."

"I'm glad to hear it. And remember that we both thought that a relationship between us wouldn't work and we proved ourselves and everyone else wrong. And we'll do it again with this baby."

"I wish I was as sure as you are about that," I said to him.

"You will be," Ranger assured me. "Until then, I'll be confident for the both of us."

"Yeah, confidence has never been a problem for you. Your cup runneth over in that department."

Also in looks and sex appeal, too, if we were going to name a few more.

"I've never seen the point of trying to deny the truth ..."

"_Hey!_" That sounded very close to a personal attack.

"I'm not talking about _you _specifically, Babe. I've worked very hard to excel at what I do. I shouldn't have to pretend I'm not competent just to make people feel better about themselves."

He had a point.

"You have a point," I told Ranger.

"Do you feel okay now?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"I want to pick up the things you need before dinner, and Ella, get here."

"Crap. I want to wait until tomorrow to tell everyone, but if Ella sees me she'll know something's going on. She's almost as freaky as you are."

"Thanks, Babe."

"I didn't say that freaky is necessarily a bad thing, just irritating. And what about Hal?" I asked Ranger. "He saw me acting weird in the garage."

"I'll tell them that you're not feeling well."

"You wouldn't be lying, either, but at least now I don't think I'll do anything crazy. I'm going to have to find something else to comfort me that isn't food-based. I understand that this baby is going to be taking over my uterus and, unfortunately, my stomach, too, but my ass and thighs are off limits."

"Don't focus on the weight part of this, Steph. As long as you eat reasonably well, you'll be fine."

"That's easy for you to say right now, but you might feel differently when I'm as big as a house."

"Steph, I wanted you when you were saddled with an extra hundred and eighty pounds of Morelli, I don't think a baby belly is going to deter me."

Only Ranger would be able to get me laughing at a time like this.

"I know it's early, but I'm ready for today to be over," I told Ranger. "While you're gone, I'm going to change clothes and spend some time in my thinking position."

"Is that your way of saying that you're going to take a nap?" Ranger asked me.

"No. I have too much on my mind."

Ranger kissed the top of my head."Don't overthink things."

"As if it's possible not to," I said, under my breath. "Speaking of overthinking, you're not going to the pharmacy my mother uses, are you? If someone sees you buying pregnancy-type vitamins, they'll put two and two together and I'll be getting a phone call."

"I'm going to the drugstore near Stark. No one associated with your mother will see me. And before you say it, I promise not to get shot while I'm down there."

I tried to close my mouth before he realized I'd opened it to say exactly that.

"Thank you, Ranger," I said instead.

"Go relax, Babe. I'll be back soon."

He caught my face between his two hands and gave me a kiss that curled my toes and reassured my mind.

He pulled away and looked me in the eye. "I mean it, Stephanie, we'll figure out how to do this."

"I hope so, because it doesn't feel like it now."

After he left, I went into the bedroom and grabbed one of Ranger's T-shirts to wear. When I first started working for Ranger, and had to wear the standard Rangeman uniform, Ranger had said that he liked seeing his name on my breast. I thought he'd just been flirting with me at the time, but I now think he meant what he said, because he never complained when his shirts ended up in my section of the closet. He just had Ella order more.

I took my clothes off and caught sight of myself in the dressing room mirror. My body looked the same - with breasts that could be bigger, a stomach that could be a tad flatter, and legs that looked okay if I kept up my once-a-month treadmill routine - but everything inside of it has changed. I hoped that I'd be able to see beyond my increasing size, and the unpleasant symptoms I'll be suffering through, to what my body is capable of doing. I've kept myself alive in some horrific situations and I'm petrified that I'm not going to be able to do the same thing for this baby. I've always been a fuck up in everyone's eyes except Ranger's, but this is something that I can't screw up. I'd never forgive myself if I did anything to harm Ranger's baby. I'd felt weighed down with responsibility when I was trying to save Julie from Scrog, _this_ was a million times worse.

I dropped the shirt over my head and pulled on a pair of shorts before collapsing onto Ranger's huge bed, flat on my back, eyes on the ceiling. And even though sleeping was the furthest thing from my mind, my body had other ideas.

Consciousness came back to me when I felt a pair of muscled arms pulling me against an even more muscular body.

"You're back," I said into Ranger's neck.

"I've been back for over an hour," he said. "I was getting concerned. I haven't seen you move at all so far."

"I think my brain needed a break. What time is it?"

"Close to eight now."

"Ella?"

"Left food for you in the kitchen for when you get hungry."

"Have you already eaten?"

"Not yet."

"Let's go then," I said to him. "And then we can come back to bed."

"Now I know you're going to be fine," Ranger said, moving a curl away from my eyes. "Your hunger for food still trumps my hunger for _you_."

"That's not true and you know it. I wouldn't be going _anywhere_ now, but if I'm going to be throwing up for the next few months, I'm going to enjoy eating while I still can."

I crawled over Ranger and headed to the kitchen.

When the leftovers were put away and the lights turned off, Ranger took my hand and led me back to the bedroom, and this time I really had no plans on sleeping. I climbed onto the bed, laid down, and watched Ranger uncover the mocha skin that never failed to make me go damp._ Everywhere_.

Ranger made quick work of my shirt, my shorts, and my senses. His mouth came down hard on mine a second before his body covered me. Between his mouth, hands, and his skill with both, I had no energy left to worry about anything except how to keep Ranger doing that thing he was doing with his tongue between my legs. I probably would've injured him with all the thrashing I'd normally be doing, but Ranger had a firm grip on my thighs, preventing me from moving anyplace but towards his mouth. As much as I tried to outlast Ranger, I couldn't. I exploded against him a few seconds before he thrust into me. Orgasm number two was taking over my body when I felt Ranger tense and his mouth slant over my lips as he caught my second scream.

"Wow," I panted, a few beats later.

I didn't know if it was hormones, or plain 'ol lust, that had made this time even better than usual. Sex with Ranger is always mind-blowing, but tonight felt like something … _more_.

"Just think of how many new positions we'll get to try out, Babe, as you get further and further along."

At that moment, I prayed to God that a decreased sex drive isn't a side effect of pregnancy. I didn't want to miss any of what Ranger had in mind. I made a mental note to check that out tomorrow.

It was stupid since I'm not going to be completely 'alone' for the next eight months or so, but when Ranger went to roll off of me, I wrapped my arms and legs around him, keeping him where he was. Ranger felt like the only solid thing that I could count on right now and I wasn't ready to let go of him _or_ his weight.

"Babe," Ranger said, softly against my lips, "I'm going to crush you if you don't let go."

I kissed the corner of his mouth before answering. Ranger in close was too good to not take advantage of.

"No you won't," I whispered. "I can give you a long list of things that I _am_, and _delicate_ isn't on it anywhere. You won't break me, Ranger. I promise."

Ranger didn't argue. He eased himself back down over me and rested his head next to mine on the pillow. I could feel his breath stirring the tangled curls near my face.

We stayed locked together until our breathing slowed and the air around us cooled. When I shivered, Ranger slid out of me and rolled onto his back, bringing me with him so I was sprawled across his chest. He pulled the blanket up over us, and in the dark room where he couldn't see my face, I told him what had been so hard to say for years but was now getting easier every day I was with him. It wasn't in a joking fashion and it wasn't something that I just threw out there. My words were from the heart, and I never meant them more.

"I love you, Ranger."

"I know, Babe."

"And I'm really, really scared."

"I know that, too."

"What can I do about it?" I asked him.

"Exactly what I'm going to do, Stephanie. Take this day-by-day, and remember that, while it's going to be difficult, in the end it will have been worth it."

I picked my head up and looked down into his perfect face.

"You realize that this child is eventually going to be a teenager, right? I don't think I'm going to believe it had been worth it when my kid is screaming that he or she hates me. I remember what_ I _was like, and God only knows what you put your parents through. Do you have any idea what we've created? Maybe you can transfer me to the Boston or Miami branch of Rangeman when this kid hits a rebellious stage. I'll even settle for a one-way ticket to a third-world jungle. I'm sure even that would be preferable to a kid who thinks they're smarter than us."

"Babe, I know for you it's going to be almost impossible, but try focusing only on the next couple of weeks, not thirteen years into the future."

I thought thirteen was very optimistic. I think anarchy starts around age seven these days, but tonight I was going to listen to Ranger and shove the awful things to come into a back corner of my brain. I wrapped my arms around as much of Ranger as I could hold and closed my eyes on purpose this time.

The next morning was surreal. Ranger and I stood side-by-side in the bathroom getting ready to drive to the courthouse and get married. Ranger knew a judge who would perform the ceremony without the wait. I figure if I say 'get married' enough times to myself, it might sink in that we are actually going through with this. I always used Ranger's aversion to marriage as a way to keep from getting too close to him, and now _I'm_ the one who isn't sure marriage is necessary. The irony just kept coming.

I blow-dried my hair while Ranger finished shaving. It seemed like we've been doing this for years instead of only a few months. And some of that time, I had stayed in my own apartment and Ranger just joined me there. That had been a much smaller bathroom than this one and we still managed to get ready, and out the door together, without killing each other in the process.

As soon as my hair was sprayed into place, and four coats of mascara was applied, I slipped into the dress I bought two months ago at Macy's. It was an ivory color with a _very_ tailored fit. It's a good thing we were doing this now. The dress probably won't fit me next week. It had a low squarish-type of neckline, little cap sleeves, and the slim skirt landed a couple inches above my knees. I added black pumps and deemed myself presentable.

At the time I got the dress, I'd been hoping to convince Ranger to take a weekend off and go with me to Point Pleasant. It was dressy enough for a nice restaurant near the beach, but still wouldn't seem completely out of place at a courthouse. I didn't want to wear something that would scream _'Hey, we're getting married today!' _I had no idea when I bought it on sale that I'd be getting married in it. It still doesn't seem real to me, and we were just about to leave.

Ranger had chosen to wear black dress pants and a black button down shirt. He looked as he always does. Sexy as hell, self-assured, and unfazed even about what we were about to do. Which is good, because his zen-like zone was helping me. If the man who has a reputation forbeing an uncompromising badass with no plans on adding husband and father to his life goals, could get through today then, damn it, so can I. I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of 'womaning up' in the months to come.

Ranger had told Ella that we'd handle breakfast this morning. Ranger had fruit and tasteless greek yogurt and I had toast and peanut butter and the caplets Ranger gave me, skipping the coffee since I read that too much caffeine was bad for a developing baby. I wasn't giving anyone ammunition to use against me. I'm not a by-the-book kind of person, but I was making an exception for the well-being of this baby.

We left the seventh floor of Rangeman for the last time as single people, and Ranger kept a hand on me the whole elevator ride down to the garage. Either he was afraid I would do an imitation of The Runaway Bride, or he was trying to keep contact to soothe me. I thought his mouth could do a better job of that, but now probably isn't the best time. Once we got going, it would take the full-force spray of a fireman's hose to separate us. Plus, I didn't want to ruin my makeup and I'm not overly fond of being videotaped for_ any _reason.

When we stepped out into the underground garage, Tank was standing by a Rangeman SUV that was parked behind Ranger's Turbo, wearing clothes not unlike Ranger's. And I couldn't help but think how attractive he really is. Tank wasn't Ranger, and he didn't have Lester's cavity-causing charm, but any woman would be lucky to have a guy like Tank, especially if he dressed up like that.

"Why is Tank dressed up like that?" I said out loud to Ranger.

"Tank will be coming with us as a witness."

I thought for sure that if we needed someone, Ranger would have asked Ella to come along, but I was touched that he wanted his best friend to be there with us. It made this feel a little more special, since most guys ask their friend to be the best man.

"Hi, Tank," I said, as we reached him and the shiny black vehicle.

"Steph," he said.

Which I took as_ 'Good morning, Stephanie'_.

"Ranger didn't tell me that you'd be coming with us this morning."

"Is it a problem?" Tank asked me.

"Not if it isn't for you," I told him.

Tank has been friends with Ranger since they met in the service, and I couldn't stand the thought of Tank thinking that I was trying to trap Ranger, or forcing his friend to do something he didn't want to do. Not that anyone_ could _force Ranger to do_ anything_, but it's a logical assumption for someone who didn't know the details.

Apparently Tank is also fluent in Stephanie speak, because he knew what I was saying without me having to spell it out for him.

"I'll admit to being shocked when Ranger told me about you being pregnant, and also about the two of you getting married today, but I'm glad that you're going through with both, Steph," Tank told me, saying more than I think he has since I've known him.

"The jury's still out on how glad _I_ am," I said to him, "but I'm going to do my best."

"I've heard Ranger tell you that you underestimate yourself, and I happen to agree with him. It takes balls to sign on to living, and putting up, with Ranger permanently."

"Remind me to kick your ass when we get back," Ranger told him. "I'd do it now, but I don't want to get your blood on Stephanie's dress."

I gave Ranger a _knock it off _look and then turned to Tank. "Thanks for saying that, Tank, but I think _Ranger_ is the one who's going to be putting up with_ me_. I'm not any easier to share space with, and I tend to need_ a lot _of it."

"You'll get everything you need here, Babe," Ranger said. "It's a big building. Space won't be an issue."

"And you'll have all of us downstairs if want a break from Ranger," Tank added, giving Ranger what I'd definitely call a smirk. "We know all the best hideouts."

Ranger responded by letting me go to give Tank an impressive shot to the shoulder. No Burg glares for these two. They're more _physical_ when they aren't pleased about something.

"Did you tell anyone about this?" I asked Tank, watching him rub where Ranger had hit him.

I was telling myself it was just for show and that Ranger didn't really bruise his best friend on our wedding day.

Tank gave me an insulted look. "No. It's not my news to tell."

Which reminded me.

"When did Ranger talk to you?" I asked Tank.

"Early this morning," Tank said. "I caught him wailing on one of the bags in the gym. He always goes straight to punching a bag when he's got serious shit on his mind. The last time I saw him that worked up is when you got mixed up with Abruzzi."

That was also when the DeChooch deal had been settled and Ranger sort of gave me a choice to make. Have him as only a friend with benefits, or get back with Morelli. Neither one sounded all that appealing. Ranger sex is _never_ easy to turn down, but I wanted it to mean more to him than just a physical release. It obviously did, since he didn't back off even after I started seeing Morelli again, so maybe I made the wrong decision back then. I guess it didn't make any difference now. Ranger and I were now a part of each other's life for the next eighteen years at least. And if we're lucky, we'll still like each other through all of them.

"Since we don't get called out of the country without warning anymore, I knew his mood had something to do with you," Tank told me. "I offered him a body to beat on instead of a bag to help him work through whatever had happened. When he declined, I figured it wasn't something bad this time."

That was still up for debate in my mind.

I knew Ranger wasn't going to skip the gym, even _this _morning, but he couldn't have paid me enough to go with him. Tomorrow I'll start being responsible and healthy, I swear. But now I feel like maybe I should have gone and given Ranger another chance to talk. Then again, he could have just needed to blow off a little steam like I'd done, but in a more Ranger-like fashion.

"Can't you guys talk over cheesecake like normal people?" I asked him.

"No man eats cheesecake, Steph," Tank said. "It's a _girl_ food."

"No, it isn't. Cake is not gender specific. And I saw Lester eating a piece a couple of weeks ago."

"You just proved my point," Tank said.

"Oh brother. Are we taking the SUV?"

"Yes," Ranger said. "Tank won't fit in anything else."

I looked at Tank, all six and a half feet of him, and could see that Ranger was telling the truth. Then I glanced down at what I was wearing. I definitely wouldn't have been able to climb into Ranger's truck in this dress. The SUV was doable. Maybe.

I offered to let Tank ride shotgun, but he refused. Probably because Ranger was ready to personally move Tank if he considered taking me up on it. I knew this was just the beginning, too. Once we got back, I was going to be dealing with this crap from at least twenty more overly attentive Rangemen.

Oh goody.

Ranger drove the ten minutes through Trenton to the courthouse. He had pulled out some papers and another box from the safe in his apartment before we left seven, and I trusted that he had everything we needed. Any other day, I'd be pissed that he had paperwork on me hidden at his place, but today I was grateful for it. If there was any way Ranger could be having this baby for me, life would be perfect.

Ranger escorted me to Judge Wainright's chambers with Tank looking very much like a bodyguard behind us. Looks like Ranger's power and contacts extended to the courthouse, too. I didn't even have time to get nervous. As soon as Ranger's name was mentioned, the judge himself waved us in. Hmm, a friendly judge might be helpful in the future if I resumed bounty hunting.

Less than ten minutes later, Ranger and I walked out Mr. and Mrs. Manoso. Okay, I was still Stephanie Plum, but I now had the option of being Stephanie Manoso if I wanted to fill out a bunch of extra paperwork. Shit. That's just one more friggin' thing I have to think about. No wonder that saying 'never grow up' is popular. It's good advice. I can tell you right now that growing up fucking sucks. I already miss only worrying about when Vinnie would have a new skip for me to catch so I'd be able to restock my pantry with peanut butter and Tastykakes. I never thought I'd be calling those the good 'ol days.

My incredible luck held, and our party of three bumped into Joe near the lobby. As Joe made a beeline right for us, Tank stepped away to give us a little privacy - well, as much privacy as a courthouse full of people could provide - but not so far away that he wouldn't be able to step in immediately if things got out of hand. Tank always had Ranger's back, and I guess now he'll be watching mine right along with Ranger's.

"Is he any closer to getting locked up?" Joe asked me. "Trying to sway a judge or land a rich client is the only time Ranger drags out his_ I'm a legitimate businessman _clothes. Care to place a bet on how many guns I'd find in his vehicle right now?"

"They're all legal, Morelli," Ranger said, obviously enjoying Joe's attempt at gaining the upper hand.

"I'm sure they are. I'm real curious who you bought off to make that happen?" Joe said to Ranger. "And does Stephanie have papers for hers, too?"

"Stephanie is _always_ protected with me," Ranger told Joe, "but even if she wasn't, you wouldn't be stupid enough to make trouble for her."

"That's probably the first time you've spoken the truth in years."

"Cut it out, Joe," I told him. "You were always telling _me_ not to make scenes in public, and now you're trying to instigate one? What's that going to accomplish?"

"Why would the two of you be here, along with your rent-a-thug, if one of you wasn't in some kind of trouble?" Morelli asked. "I haven't heard anything at the station about _you_, and both Eddie and Carl knew I was going to be here testifying today. They wouldn't pass up an opportunity to fuck with me over you, so it makes sense that Manoso is the one involved in something legally questionable this time."

I knew it wasn't smart to assault an officer in a courthouse, for me or Ranger, so I went with telling Joe the truth about why Ranger and I were here. It would be a more effective way of shutting him up before Ranger stopped being amused and saw Joe as a danger to me.

"Ranger and I just got married," I told Joe, effectively throwing away a decades old safety blanket. "Oh ... and it turns out that I'm pregnant, too."

I felt bad when instead of the insult I'd been expecting about Ranger knocking me up, I saw the hurt in Joe's eyes as he looked at our hands to verify what I had said. The new hardware on both of our left hands said it all. I'd been a little worried that Ranger would be one of those guys who wouldn't want to wear a wedding band, so I was happy, and also relieved, to see him pull out a ring for himself, as well as the tiny diamond encrusted band that matched my engagement ring. I wouldn't have to make a big deal about him wearing one after all.

Joe must be one hell of an actor, I thought to myself as I waited for him to say something, because I would have sworn that he'd gotten over me a long time ago.

"You're _what_?"

"Married _and _pregnant. Believe me, Joe, if I can say it without throwing up, then so can you. And that is what you've wanted me to be all along, isn't it?"

Sure, it was really petty, and definitely immature, but I couldn't resist the jab after all the times I had to listen to him tell me to quit my job so I could start having children.

Joe stared at me for a full minute before turning angry eyes on Ranger.

"You _sonofabitch_," he said to Ranger before storming off.

Joe's jaw had been clenched so tightly when he forced those two words out, that I thought for sure it'd crack under the pressure.

I blew out a sad sigh. "That was bad," I said to Ranger and Tank, as he joined us again.

"It could have been much worse," Ranger told me.

"Could still be," Tank said to us. "You might want to avoid being alone with him."

"Joe wouldn't hurt anyone," I told both of them. "He's probably just as horrified as I was. He'll get over it."

"No, he won't, Babe. He just realized that the two of you are completely done."

"We've been_ done _for close to a year now."

"Not in_ his _eyes. Even Morelli is smart enough to know that I'm not going anywhere now."

"Were you planning on going somewhere before?" I asked him.

"No," Ranger said, with a grin tugging at his lips, "but Morelli was praying like hell that I was."

"And men say that _women_ are complicated. Joe's been seen with multiple people around town. He didn't have any reason to want you to disappear."

"He had the biggest reason, Babe. None of those women were _you_."

I didn't know what to say to that. I'd just assumed that Joe had finally reached his limit with all the shit I dragged him into, and was happy to finally move onto someone nice and 'normal'. It never occurred to me that he was still thinking we might get back together. I'd feel really bad about dashing his hopes, but I had bigger things on my mind now. Telling everyone about our sudden marriage, and new baby, being at the forefront of it. Maybe I spoke too soon about not throwing up when I said it. Even _mentally_ it made me queasy until I looked at the man I had just legally, and emotionally, joined my life to. Ranger is frickin' _amazing_, not only for standing by me and our baby, but for loving me ... faults and all.

"Let's go back to Haywood, Babe," Ranger said, feeling my eyes on him. "I can guarantee you that the reaction there will better than Morelli's."

As we left the courthouse, and Ranger drove us back to Rangeman, the _sick feeling _was slowly being replaced by a _sick fascination _with what Bobby, Lester, and the guys were going to say when we tell them our news. I know my life is about to become much more stifling, but I'm going to try to stay in the moment and not borrow trouble._ Yet_. And maybe by the time this kid is grown, I will have convinced myself that I actually enjoyed every minute of his or her life from this day on. What can I say? Joy fades, but denial can last forever.

**A/N: I wanted to add the Merry Men to this chapter, but I'm really trying to keep the chapters of this story shorter than what I usually write (except for this one which is much longer than I would have liked) and I didn't want to rush their reactions, so the Rangeman crew will be the first ones told in the next chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you who have left reviews for Baby Steps. I try hard to tell a good story and all of your positive reviews, and encouraging words, make me want to work that much harder on what I write next. I don't have kids myself so any pregnancy information in this story is based on what people I know have gone through, or things I have looked up online. All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 3**

When we pulled into Rangeman's underground garage, the three stooges were loitering near the elevator. Hal, Bobby, and Lester were standing there, just watching us drive in. Ranger parked and then came over to my side of the SUV to help me down. I was almost positive that I could have made it out of the vehicle without landing on my ass, but I appreciated him wanting to fuss over me. Maybe we could work out a three day/four day split. I could be hovered over for three days out of the week and then totally independent for the remaining four. It sounded to me like a good compromise, but I didn't think Ranger would go for it.

I saw Lester straighten his already rigid back as we approached them.

"It wasn't my fault," Lester said, making me smile.

Looks like Lester is Rangeman's Stephanie equivalent. I started half my sentences for almost a solid year with that same line. And Ranger never bought it, either.

"_What_ didn't you do?" Ranger asked him.

"I don't know," he said.

_Major _deja vu. I've said that, too.

"Hal saw that your vehicle was down at the courthouse. Lester just assumed he was the cause of it," Bobby said. "Though he can't pinpoint what the reason could be, or who might have brought charges against him."

Ranger's right hand was circling my left one, and he had kept his left hand inside his pocket after putting his keys into it, so the guys couldn't see the new rings on our fingers. Only Tank, Ranger, and I knew why we were at the courthouse.

"Relax, Lester," I told him. "Our trip had nothing to do with you."

"I can't help but notice that you're all dressed up, and it's _early_," Lester said, looking me over. "I bet_ you're_ the one who did something."

"I did," I told him, "but I had Ranger's help."

"What do mean?" Hal asked. "Ranger would never get you into trouble."

"You're right, Hal," I said to him. "He wouldn't. Not intentionally, anyway."

"What the fuck is going on?" Lester asked.

Ranger and Tank spoke simultaneously.

"_Santos!_"

"Guys, I've heard worse." And I'veyelled way worse out of my car window during rush hour traffic, I thought to myself. "An f-bomb isn't going to kill me."

They, of course, ignored me and stared at Lester until he apologized.

"Sorry, Steph."

"It's okay, Lester. Don't mind Ranger and Tank. They're a little sensitive today."

"Is someone threatening you?" Bobby asked, then turned to Ranger before I could answer him. "Hal said Steph looked scared yesterday when he spotted her just sitting in her car. Did she pick up another stalker?"

"Nope. _I'm_ the only one going crazy right now," I told them.

"Babe."

"Well, I _was_. Today I feel almost normal, though."

"Does anyone care to share what the hell is going on?" Lester said. "You're acting strange even for the two of you."

"Let's go up to five so we only have to do this once," Ranger told them. "But be warned, if you don't control yourselves, you will be sorry."

I saw Hal gulp, and Bobby and Lester were staring like a couple of confused puppies at the three of us.

"Before you all pop a brain vessel from thinking too hard, get in the elevator with us," I said to everyone. "It's a quicker way up." At least it was for me.

"Now I'm intrigued," Lester said. "This has got to be good to get Tank into his going-to-town clothes."

_Thwack! _Was the sound Tank's hand made as it came into contact with Lester's head.

Maybe I do have more experience dealing with child-like behavior than I originally thought.

"Knock it off. All of you," Ranger said to them. "We have something important to discuss, and I want to be talking to the professionals I hired when we do, not a bunch of immature idiots."

"I'll take the stairs if that will get us answers faster," Bobby said.

"_I'm_ not taking the stairs," I told them, "but feel free to go on ahead of us."

Bobby, Lester, and Hal hit the stairwell while Tank came with Ranger and I. He already knew what we were going to say so Tank didn't feel like he had to rush. Which was a little surprising since he's just as neurotic as Ranger when it comes to physical activity.

We could hear Lester talking as the doors opened on the elevator.

"Everyone whose eyes aren't glued to a monitor, get your asses over here," Lester said to the control room at large. "We've got a situation."

"Oh great," I said to Ranger. "That's going to help."

"What are we preparing for this time?" Cal asked, coming up to us. "Is there another stalker?"

"Jesus. It's not _always_ a stalker, guys," I told them.

"With you it is."

And I like these people, why?

"Well ... it's not this time."

"What were you doing at the courthouse?" Vince asked, but quickly added, "not that we were checking up on you or anything."

"We just thought it was a little odd," Junior said to us. "Especially when we knew Tank had gone with you."

"Do you want to take this?" I asked Ranger.

"Do you need me to?"

"No. I can do it."

"Do what?" Hal asked, his eyes shifting between Tank, Ranger, and I.

I took a deep breath and then let it out slowly before speaking. "Ranger and I got married at the courthouse this morning. Tank came with us as our witness."

There was dead silence for a minute and a half. Then Bobby, followed by Lester, broke the awkward moment.

"Why wasn't I invited?" Bobby asked. "You know I would've wanted to be there."

"What was the hurry? All of us would have attended. You couldn't have at least given us a little notice?"

"Since you asked," I said, "we got married right away because I found out yesterday that I'm pregnant."

There ... one group of people told. This is bound to get easier the more times I tell it.

There was even more silence. And this time it was followed by open-mouthed stares. That in itself was shocking. These are men trained to keep their expressions neutral even under torture.

Lester was the first one to close his mouth, only to open it again immediately.

"We're having a baby!" Lester said, as he picked me up off the floor and swung me around in a circle.

It was a good thing I wasn't wearing one of those swirly skirts. The guys would have gotten a show as well as some interesting news.

When Lester set me back down, the room was still spinning. Ranger slid his arm around my waist to steady me and probably to keep Lester away, too.

I looked over at Ranger. "Is that how we were supposed to act when we found out about the baby?"

"We seldom do what's expected, Babe. We could still reach that point."

"Maybe."

"And_ we're _not having a baby, Santos," Ranger told him. "_Stephanie_ and_ I _are."

"But this is the first _Rangeman_ baby. She's going to belong to all of us."

"Hold on," I said, feeling the room spin again even though I wasn't moving. "_First_ baby? Don't you mean _only_ baby? And what do you mean _she_?"

"I know that this baby is going to be a girl," Lester said. "I have an eighty percent accuracy rate."

"You don't have anything of the kind," I told Lester. "Only a handful of people associated with Rangeman have kids."

"I do have a life, and friends, outside of Rangeman," he said.

I suppose it's possible that he does. Stranger things have been known to happen.

"And don't forget," Lester told me, "Ranger has Julie, who's a_ girl_. And doesn't your sister have all girls, too?"

Huh. As much as it pains me to admit it, Lester did have a point. I haven't really thought about the sex of the baby. Do I want a boy or a girl? Do I really have a preference? Does Ranger?

"Are you sure you're pregnant," Ram asked, scanning my dress and heels. "You sure don't look it."

"I love you for saying that, Ram," I told him and kissed his cheek.

"Steph, don't make my job harder by indulging them," Ranger said. "And keep your eyes in your head, Ram, or I'll be happy to remove them for you."

"Uh, sorry," Ram said. "I just meant that you look nice, Steph."

"I know, Ram. And I appreciate it. Ranger's just a tad more overprotective than usual. This news has kind of messed with our heads a little."

"Wow," Bobby said.

"Yeah," I said to him. "This is _big_."

"You all know what this means," Ranger said to his men.

"Yes," Cal told him. "No one goes near her."

"Whoa, guys," I said to the group. "I'm _pregnant. _I'm not a frickin' bomb. You need to calm down a little here."

It's scary that I'm the one telling someone to calm down now.

"We'll be watching out for _two_ people now when you leave the building," Junior said. "That automatically gets you an extra guy. We're all gonna have to step up our game."

"Step it up_ how_?" I asked. "You guys already have eyes on the back of your heads when you're anywhere near me."

"Obviously we'll have to grow an extra set," Cal said. "Keeping _you _out of danger is hard enough for us. A baby on top of that is going to be a huge challenge."

"The baby isn't even born yet," I said, trying to reason with them.

I knew it was hopeless. They were going to see a threat in every single thing now, no matter how innocent. I can kiss my bathroom privileges goodbye. I mean, I could drown while washing my hands in the sink or slip and crack my head open on the side of the counter. My old life was flashing right before my eyes. There is no way I'm peeing within earshot of _anyone_. Ranger included. That's non-negotiable.

"Steph," Ranger said. "What's wrong?"

"Besides everything?" I muttered.

"The baby might not exactly be here yet," Vince said, "but there are plenty of things we can do to help you with her until she is."

I blew out an exasperated breath. "And I repeat … you don't know that this baby is a girl."

"Maybe you should have two," Hal said. "Then we can have a boy _and_ a girl to play with."

"You can be such an idiot, Hal," Lester said. "You don't get to choose what baby you're getting. It's like the mother of all surprises. No pun intended. But I'd be okay with two whatever they turned out to be. Maybe you're carrying twins. I'd love that."

"I wouldn't," I told him. "Don't even think _twins_. We're having _a_ baby, _one _baby, because this one snuck through our defenses. If you want more, you guys will have to make them."

"I don't think Ranger would care for that idea," Bobby said, grinning at me.

I closed my eyes and did what I've watched Joe do many, many times. I counted to ten. Twice. I reopened them in time to see Ranger's fist pulled back.

"No," I told Ranger. "I got this one." And I socked Bobby in the stomach.

I was telling myself that punch would have really hurt someone who wasn't hiding behind a six-pack of ab muscles.

"Ouch," he said, humoring me. The jerk.

"You'll have to find your own unsuspecting women to procreate with," I said to the room. "My uterus is hanging out a 'Do Not Enter' sign as soon as this kid comes out."

I saw Hal, Vince, and Zip cringe when I said _uterus. _Men were such babies. Pun intended this time. They could sit around and come up with the dirtiest names to call parts of our anatomy, but anytime we say the medically-approved names for them, or mentioned what their favorite parts were created for, guys always turn red and start to look nauseous. I shook my head at all of them.

"You can't say that yet," Woody told me. "You might like being a mom and actually want more kids when you see how great they are. I always have fun when I see my nieces."

"And you see them for ... what? A couple of hours? I like my nieces, too, but I know I couldn't watch them twenty-four-hours a day without wanting to injure myself. Believe me," I said to Woody, "if you would have seen me yesterday, you would know that this is going to be an only child. At least from me. He or she will have Julie for a sister."

"As Ram already pointed out, you don't look pregnant," Caesar said. "How far along are you?"

"About five weeks," Ranger told him.

"When are you going to get one of those ultrasound pictures?" Lester asked. "I want to see what our baby looks like."

"Since everything looks okay, my doctor said it probably won't be until I'm at least ten to twelve weeks along."

"Damn. That's almost two freakin' months away," Zero told us, like we weren't already aware of that.

"We've got a long pregnancy ahead of us," Bobby said to everyone.

"Don't I know it," I said to myself.

"Remember, Babe, we'll take this day-by-day."

I wrapped my arm around Ranger and leaned into him. "I'm trying."

"So when is _she _due?" Lester asked.

I glared at him, but didn't bother arguing. A brick wall looked at Lester's head with envy. Nothing would get through it unless he okay'd it first.

Ranger grinned down at me. "Go ahead, Babe," he said. "Tell him."

"April 1st," I told Lester.

After the second it took them to process the date, there was a collective _'figures' _from all of the men. They didn't have to be told how fitting that was for a Plum/Manoso baby.

For a minute I was so distracted thinking about what the actual delivery would entail, I almost didn't see Lester coming at me with his hands outstretched.

"What the heck are you doing?" I asked, quickly shielding myself with Ranger's body.

"I don't know," Lester said. "As soon as you said that you have a baby in there, I automatically wanted to put my hands on your stomach to try to feel it."

I've witnessed this strange occurrence when I'd been out with Valerie and Mary Lou. Once people learn that you're pregnant, it apparently made the standard three-feet of personal space rule non-existent.

"There's nothing to feel except my stomach," I told Lester. "And you don't get to do that. The baby is about the size of a sesame seed right now. _I_ don't even feel anything, and this kid is growing inside of me."

Ranger pushed Lester back three feet. "Just because Stephanie's pregnant doesn't mean her body has become public property. Your hands stay off of her unless they are invited. Which will only be when the baby starts kicking and Steph decides to share the moment with you. Any other time, I'll snap your hands off at the wrists so Steph won't feel she has to hide from her own bodyguards."

"Ranger," I said to him. "I am capable of stopping people from touching me."

"Oh, really?" He asked.

I knew he was reliving all the times I told him to back off right before he was kissing me senseless. I was now thinking that the protests were for Morelli's benefit only, because I really didn't want to push Ranger away even while I was actually doing it.

"_That _was different," I said to Ranger, snapping out of a particularly good alley memory where I'd been sandwiched between the building and Ranger's solid body.

There were worse places to be. And I had to say, looking back on it, that Ranger felt harder against me than the bricks.

"You also just hid behind me when you saw Lester heading in your direction," Ranger said to me.

"Lester surprised me. And I'm new at this. I'll be more prepared next time."

"Even so, Babe. I don't want you uncomfortable at all during this."

"Is there a way you can take away all the pregnancy side effects? Because I'm pretty sure _uncomfortable_ is the best case scenario here."

"I can't do that for you, Steph," Ranger said. "That's why I'm focusing on all the environmental stresses instead of the internal ones."

"We won't stress Steph out," Bobby said. "We're really excited about this. I still can't believe you're married with a baby on the way."

"Trust me," I told him, "it'll take a day to get used to it. Maybe two."

"We're here for you, Steph," Ramon said. "If you need anything just let us know."

"Thanks, Ramon. I'm probably going to need every one of you at some point."

"We've been with you for every death threat, stalker, and car fire," Tank said to me, "and we'll see you through this, too."

The stupid hormones were all I could think to blame for my suddenly watery eyes.

"Thank you, Tank. I know Ranger can always count on you and I'm starting to think that I can, too."

Tank looked me in the eye. "You can, Steph. And Ranger feels the same way about being able to count on you. I don't think either of you planned this, but this kid couldn't be in better hands."

"Friggin' hormones," I said under my breath, blinking my eyes in an attempt to dry them.

I wasn't this bad when Ranger and I were saying I do. Okay, my eyes were in danger of leaking then, too, but that's expected on your wedding day. This is overkill.

"I'm going to get a bottle of water," I told Ranger, needing a minute to get myself under control. "This no coffee thing sucks."

"If it's really that bad, Babe, you can still have a small amount of it. As long as you don't overdue it, it should be fine."

"No. Going without coffee should be the easiest out of everything to get used to. It just doesn't feel like it today."

"I can get it for you, Steph," Vince said.

"Yeah, why don't you sit down," Zip suggested, "and let Vince run to the kitchen. Or I can go."

"Jeez, guys, I'm only walking fifteen feet. I promise I'll be okay."

I made it to the control room kitchen without incident. And, I think, without anyone following me. I pulled an ice cold bottle of water out of the fridge, twisted the cap off, and stood staring into the room. I let my mind wander, trying to picture what our life was going to be like in nine months, two years, and when this kid reached the dreaded teen years. I'll be older than I thought it possible to be when I was in my own teens. Although that was actually a frightening thought, it was made less scary because no matter what year in the future I imagined, I could still see myself with Ranger. Hopefully Ranger could just as easily see himself still in love with me.

I polished off my water and went back to Ranger and the guys. When I reached the doorway, I spotted Zero and Lester standing a few feet away from the kitchen. Guess I'd been followed after all. They looked real interested in what they were discussing so I walked quietly over to them. Curious now to see what they were up to.

My eyes narrowed and my nostrils flared when I realized that _we_ were the fascinating subject.

"Ten bucks says it's a girl," Lester said.

"Make it twenty," Zero told him. "I'm going with a boy."

I glared at them while trying to decide which one to attack first. Ranger must have seen my expression, because he looked from me to Dumb and Dumber and immediately crossed the room to reach us. He then put a hand on the sides of both Lester and Zero's heads and pushed hard so their skulls crashed together.

When Ranger let them go, and got close enough to me again, I kissed him full on the mouth.

"Thank you," I told him. "I wanted to do the same thing, but they don't budge when I try to move them."

"What did they do now?"

"Shouldn't you have asked that before scrambling their brains?" I asked him.

"If they were dumb enough to do something to make you angry, Babe, then they obviously don't have any brains to scramble. Do I have to do anything else to them?"

"I don't know. I'm still debating that."

Zero and Lester were looking apologetic.

"We didn't mean any disrespect," Zero said. "We were just playing."

"Well cut it out," I told them. "It's bad enough I've had people bet on_ me_, I'm not going to let anyone do it to my baby."

Hmm …_ my baby_. This is the first time I actually considered this baby_ mine. _It felt weird, but not altogether bad.

"They did_ what_?" Ranger asked, taking a threatening step forward.

"We're sorry, Steph," Lester said. "We won't do it again."

"You better fucking believe you won't do it again," Ranger told them, clutching the collars of their uniforms tightly, while twisting them so the material bit into their skin, "or I'll make you severely regret it every second that's left of your _very short _lives."

"And I'll help him," Tank added, crossing his huge arms across his chest, displaying maximum menace.

"That won't be necessary," Zero said, falling back into a subordinate role when Ranger finally released them. "It was only supposed to be a friendly wager, but I can see now how stupid it was. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Zero," I told him. "But if I catch you, or anyone else, doing it again, you'll be eating each other's nuts for breakfast. Am I making myself clear?"

Lester swallowed hard. I didn't know what disturbed him more, having his own balls removed and then hand-fed to him, or having to eat someone else's. Could be both, I guess.

"I told you, Babe," Ranger said into my ear. "You have all the makings of a Mama Bear. Santos is one loud noise away from pissing himself."

"I've never wet myself," Lester said to us. "And I don't plan on doing it today. Zero's right. It was only for fun, but I get why it pissed you off. And I know having _you_ mad at me, never mind Ranger, isn't conducive to a pain-free body so I can promise you that I won't do anything like that again."

"Looks like you have a brain after all, Santos," Ranger said to him. "Just remember that if Stephanie has to go after you for any reason, and that goes for all of you, I'm going to be beating on your ass right after she's done with you."

Bobby came over after hearing about the bet and cuffed both Zero and Lester on the side of their heads. I smiled. I could always count on Bobby. I was hoping that we could get through the day without anyone suffering from an actual concussion, though.

We rejoined the guys who were clustered around the monitoring station where Manuel and Binkie were stuck sitting. I took a quick glance at the two banks of monitors in front of them. Nope, nothing has changed here. It's still as boring as I remember.

"Are you going to be left on monitor duty?" Binkie asked me. "Now that you're in the family way."

"No," I said. "I wouldn't last a day watching absolutely nothing happen on a bunch of screens at the same time."

"You're not chasing FTAs," Tank said to me.

It wasn't phrased as a question.

"No. I sidelined myself this time."

"Stephanie will be doing everything but the pickups on all of our FTAs," Ranger told everyone, "as well as what Vinnie gives her. But we'll be handling the actual captures."

"Shit," I said to Ranger. "I forgot all about Vinnie. He's going to want to fire me because of this."

"If he gives you any trouble, Babe, I'll speak to him for you. This won't be much different than what you've been doing except one of us will be slapping the cuffs on the fugitives."

"It is what we usually do when we make a station run for you after your car catches on fire," Manuel said, trying not to smile.

"Shut up, Manny," I told him. "My car hasn't caught fire in a very long time."

My car is a piece of crap, but that's how I bought it. The state it's in wasn't caused by a psycho this time.

"And don't give Ranger more things to worry about," I added.

"He's not going to have to worry," Cal said. "We're gonna make sure that your car, this baby, and you are all protected. No one is going to have an opportunity to get close to you, or your vehicle, to do damage to either."

And this is what I've been fearing. Not being able to make my own decisions is something that I completely dread. I think that's why this baby news hit me so hard. I wasn't going to be in charge of my own life ever again. This kid has been calling the shots ever since that test came back positive. The funny thing is, I'm actually getting less resentful with every hour that passed. Hormones again. It had to be. That was the only excuse.

I never really wanted kids. I didn't want the responsibility of them, since I could barely keep _myself_ clothed and fed. I had even childishly congratulated myself for finally telling Ranger how much I wanted to make a relationship work with him. That was my big accomplishment up until this point. My increasing feelings for Ranger were something I had denied, avoided, and hid from, but in the end, I conquered my fears in order to have a life with him. And I'll overcome any fears I have about having this baby, too.

As I looked around at this group of men who have sworn to look out for us, the road ahead looked a little less bumpy. I have a live-in support group for when I desperately needed one. Very few women, if _any_, are as fortunate.

"You know, aside from Lester, you guys are the best," I told them. "Any kid would be lucky to have you in their life."

"Of course they would," Bobby said. "And I'm looking forward to spoiling the shit out of this one."

"Me, too," Binkie said. "Kids love me."

"Yeah, they love you," Lester said to Binkie, "because they can relate to you since you have the IQ of a child."

"Stop picking on Binkie," I told Lester. "He doesn't have to be a dick to get attention. He's sweet, and that's why both women _and_ children like him."

"Steph, women don't want _sweet_," Lester said, nodding in Ranger's direction. "You should know that better than anyone. Just look at who you're lusting after."

Little did he know that Ranger could be somewhat sweet when he's in the mood.

Lester continued before I could say anything. "Women want hot sex with a guy like me, _not_ a _sweet_ Boy Scout who offers to carry bags for them instead of getting their phone numbers."

"I wouldn't say that," I told him. "Women like both. Ranger _always_ carries my bags for me. You have, too. A couple of times in fact. And Binkie has gotten quite a few interested looks from women when he's been out guarding me."

"They were probably checking _you_ out, Steph," Lester said, giving me a wink.

"Ranger, how hard would it be to replace Lester?"

"Depends. Do you mean for a security detail or as a Rangeman employee?"

"Both," I told Ranger.

"You know you love having me around, Steph. And so will the baby. I'm definitely going to be this kid's favorite babysitter."

"Umm, no offense, Lester," I said to him, "but I'm not sure I trust you to babysit."

"Why the hell not?" He asked, genuinely puzzled as to why I'd say that.

Did he really just ask me that? A whole five-drawer file cabinet could be filled with reasons why.

"Ranger and I would probably get back a kid who could suddenly swear in four different languages."

Lester gave me a barely-detectable, Rangeman-approved eyeroll. "_Ranger_ could teach a kid that, too. There's nothing as effective as a Somali ass-chewing delivered by an unhappy Ranger."

"I'm not asking about that," I told him. "I already have a vague idea of how dangerous your lives were. I don't want details that will make it any clearer."

"You're no fun," Zip said to me.

"Being chased, and shot at, appeals to me about as much as a shoe sale at Macy's appeals to all of you."

Everyone grimaced at the idea of the mall. But put them in a gun shop, or an electronics store, and they could out-shop me.

"Looks like we'll have to get used to shopping at the mall," Ram said.

"Yup," Junior told him. "We'll do anything in the name of duty."

"I don't know what your problem is with the mall," I said to them. "It's a great place. You can get food, fancy coffee, and a little black dress all under one roof."

"Babe, we can have food and coffee here. And we're not interested in little black dresses."

"You sure seemed interested in the one I wore a few weeks ago," I said to Ranger.

"That's because it was on _you_, not hanging on a rack with twelve others exactly like it."

"Yeah. We only care about seeing certain clothes on women and then immediately taking them off of the women," Lester said, taking a step back out of hitting range. "And that _was_ a killer dress you were wearing that night."

"I don't have to get you now, Santos," Ranger said. "There's always tomorrow. But keep in mind, the more time I have to think about a punishment, the more pain you'll be experiencing."

"That's if he lives until tomorrow," Tank added.

"Speaking of living," I said to save Lester's ass again. I still don't know why I bother, except that when Lester's not being an arrogant pain in the ass, he's annoyingly charming and disgustingly likeable if you catch him on a good day. "Do any of you guys have EMT training?"

"We all know a little something about keeping a person alive," Bobby said. "Why?"

"Ranger and I are heading to my parents' house and I'm afraid my mother might need a defibrillator to get her heart beating again after she learns that I'm now married and pregnant. If I know Ranger, I bet one of you will be following behind us. So I thought the best person for the job would be someone familiar with CPR in case she blacks out."

"Are you sure you want her resuscitated?" Tank asked. "It might be better for the three of you if she isn't."

I knew I was a bad person for thinking it, but Tank was probably right about my life being easier. But I knew my mother wasn't going to have a heart attack. And I definitely wouldn't wish one on her. I'll just have to deal with her like I have everything else in the last twenty-four hours. I'll face her head on and try to make the best of the visit.

One of the tricks I've found to keep myself calm if I'm dwelling too long on the difficult stuff, is to try picturing what this baby will look like. Julie is almost the spitting image of Ranger and I wondered if this one will be, too. A tiny Ranger is as hard to stay mad at as the life-sized Ranger.

"Are you going to be moving in here permanently now?" Vince asked me.

"Yeah," I told him. "Ranger's not a huge fan of my apartment."

"Neither are we," Caesar said. "There's nothing secure about it."

"You would say that," I told him.

The first time I met Caesar was when I needed some quick cash and Ranger sent me out with him to help customize a security system for a Rangeman client.

"When are you making the big move?" Ramon asked.

"All of my essentials are here already so I don't need to do everything right this second. I'll talk to Dillon and find out how much time I'll have to collect the rest of my junk."

"Let us know when," Junior said, "and we'll help."

"Thanks," I told them and then turned back to Ranger. "Okay, I guess we should brave the Burg now. Might as well get this over with quickly. My parents will most likely be the hardest people to tell. I'm going to talk to Ella when I get back. I don't want to disturb her when she's busy working on lunch, so if you guys can keep this to yourselves until I see her, I'd appreciate it."

"Sure," Bobby said. "We can do that."

"We're happy that you wanted to tell us first," Lester told me.

"All of you are probably going to be the most affected besides Ranger and I," I said to him. "Ranger thought you should be told."

I took a step towards the elevator before Bobby's voice stopped me.

"One thing before you go."

"What?" I asked.

He wrapped his arms carefully around my waist and lifted me off my feet._ "We're having a baby!" _Bobby said, rocking me back and forth instead of spinning me around like Lester had done.

It was sweet how quick they were to claim this baby. More so than I was. Same old same old, I thought to myself. I couldn't do anything right. Even when it came to my reactions.

"We are," I said. "And I'm going to warn you right now, that I'm probably going to be impossible to be around."

"Don't care," Bobby said, finally putting me down. "We're going to be here for you whether you want us with you or not."

"He's right, Steph," Lester said, getting in an extra hug. "We've faced scarier things than a moody pregnant woman."

I was then passed down the line of men offering similar reassurances as Ranger and Tank looked on. They were watching the men they hired based on their ass-kicking abilities turn into fairy godmothers in front of them. Okay, maybe not _fairy godmothers_ so much, since I'm pretty sure they weren't male, tattooed, and super-sized, but definitely something close. As Ranger told me upstairs, he didn't seem at all upset about the men's response to hearing about the baby. He knew the guys would offer on their own to help keep an eye on us no matter how claustrophobic it made me. But as I was engulfed in yet another pair of muscley arms, I didn't feel trapped so much as incredibly cared for.

When I reached the last guy, Zero, he looked me in eye. "I really am sorry, Steph."

"I know you are. You guys wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt me."

"We wouldn't," Zero told me. "_I _wouldn't."

"It's okay, Zero. Really. And you actually did me a favor. This baby has freaked me out, but when I heard you and Lester talking, I realized that I would in fact do anything to protect our child. Even attempt to beat the tar out of both of you. So it worked out in the end."

He seemed a little more relaxed after he hugged me. These guys were all in such freakin' good shape, I felt like I'd been hugging statues, and not because of their lack of expressions this time. Good thing I was well-conditioned from frequent Ranger time or I could have bruised myself on them.

"Let's go, Babe," Ranger said, slinging another iron-like arm around me, "before they gear up for round two." He turned to his men before we hit the elevator. "Morelli knows about both our marriage and the baby."

"Shit," Bobby said. "Is he going to cause problems?"

"No," I told everyone.

These guys were quick in springing into action and I didn't want Joe to become a target before he even did anything.

"Just keep your eyes open for him in the future," Ranger told them. "I don't want him getting Stephanie alone."

I sighed. _Loudly_. I know Joe better than everyone here does, and they still wouldn't listen to me. Men.

"Are you done?" I asked Ranger. "Or do you want to warn them about an impending apocalypse, or maybe an invasion of little purple people sent to earth for the sole purpose of stealing our baby from us?"

"Babe."

"That's about as ridiculous as the thought of Joe hurting me."

The guys smiled, but I noticed that the smiles didn't reach their eyes. Joe was added to their list of potential dangers and there isn't anything I can say that will change anyone's mind, so I saved my breath. I wasn't worried about Joe and that's all that is important.

We returned to the elevator and I rested my head against Ranger's shoulder for the short trip down to the garage. This time we got to take the Turbo. I had no problem sliding into the seat, but my skirt did ride up my leg as I did and I caught Ranger's appreciative glance before I tugged it back down. He started the engine and I was already missing the guys as we got closer to the Burg. Well, I only had to miss some of them because I saw a black SUV two cars behind us which no doubt held one or two of them. And I knew that this was just the start of the Merry Men sightings. Maybe they did agree with me after all, that my mother is more of a threat to my well-being than Morelli.

Something occurred to me as I was thinking about my parents.

"What about your family?" I asked Ranger as he turned onto my parents' street. "I've only met them a couple of times. It's a huge leap from talking about my favorite foods to telling them that we got married and are having a baby."

"They invited us over for a birthday dinner," Ranger told me. "We can tell them then."

"No way. If they find out my parents knew about this before they did, they'll be hurt. And besides, your birthday should be about celebrating _you_, not having it glossed over because of an announcement this big."

"Babe, birthdays aren't important to me. I'd _prefer_ to share the spotlight with you and the baby."

"No," I told him. "Not only do I not want to usurp your day, my mother will probably mention to yours exactly when she found out about all of this. I don't want any more strikes against me. Your family is probably going to think that I did this on purpose to get you to marry me."

"Steph, what did you tell my mother when she asked how you felt about children?"

"I said that they're really cute as long as they belong to someone else," I said, remembering that conversation.

I'd been mentally telling myself to shut up, and to not say something like that to Ranger's mother, even as the words flew out of my mouth.

"Does that sound like a woman who wanted to get pregnant?" Ranger asked me.

"No."

"My parents will be happy to have more members to add to the family. If they ever decide to have a family reunion, they'll have to rent out Jersey just to have room for everyone."

I looked over at him with a horrified expression on my face. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding."

I've met his parents, brother and sisters, and his Grandma Rosa. That had been terrifying enough. I don't think I'll be able to manage more than that. At least, not all at once.

"I am, Babe. A little. But there is a lot of us. And new babies just barely edge out weddings as the events they most like celebrating. Think of it this way, Steph, you'll actually be doubling up on their excitement."

"You're sure they won't call me Hungarian trash and try to put 'the eye' on me?" I asked him.

I had enough of that with Joe's Grandma Bella, and I wasn't even pregnant then.

"We don't have 'the eye'. That's an_ Italian _thing. And my family wouldn't use it on you if they did have something similar. They know how important you are to me and I would not let them disrespect you,_ ever_, even if they thought they were doing it for my own good."

I let out a relieved sigh. Ranger wasn't like Joe. And I had to stop acting like he could be.

Ranger pulled into the driveway and parked behind my mother's car. Oh goody, they're all home. There was no way to back out now. Did I really want to?_ Yes_. Was I going to? I cut my eyes to the man I had just married._ No_, I wouldn't back out. I wasn't going to be ashamed of anything having to do with Ranger. Not anymore. And I already saw that I could stand up for us and this baby we created. My mother was just that ..._ my _mother. She has no say in how we raise this baby or how we live our life. And I'll take her on like I did Zero and Lester if she crosses the line with any of her comments or actions. I was going to be a mother myself soon, and I plan on showing mine how it's done.

"Are you ready to face the firing squad, Babe?" Ranger asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes," I told Ranger, smiling a little myself. "I'm suddenly feeling bulletproof. Bring on the friendly fire."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for all of your reviews for this story. I tried to keep the mother/daughter sparks contained in this chapter because I don't want this to become a Stephanie vs Helen story. I kept their relationship close to canon with room for improvement or a butt-kicking if it's needed. Anything familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 4**

Ranger stood by my side of the car while I got out - probably hoping for another dress ride up - and then took my hand as we walked up the sidewalk to my parents' door. My mother and grandmother were already standing there when we reached the doorway. Something was up. I really don't see Joe blabbing to my parents about what went on at the courthouse. Not to sound full of myself, but I honestly think he was feeling more hurt than angry. Anger is what Joe relies on when he's really upset about something, much like I use denial. And finding out that the woman you were seeing for years is suddenly married and having a baby with someone else - after she repeatedly told you she wasn't interested in that kind of life - is bound to be upsetting. But clearly my mother and Grandma Mazur already smelled a juicy story, and boy were they about to get one.

"Ranger, Stephanie," my mother said, stepping out of the way so we could enter the house, "don't both of you look nice."

"Yeah," Grandma said, "that's a real pretty dress you got on. I'd like to get me something like that when my check comes in. The men at the senior center would be all over me in a dress like that. I'd have to figure out how to get my boobs to stay up that high, though."

I shuddered at the visual.

"And you'd_ want _them all over you?" I asked her. "_On purpose_?"

"We can't all have stud muffins like Ranger," she said.

"But maybe you could shoot for someone less pervy than the guys there."

The few times I dropped Grandma off or picked her up from there, I was lucky my clothes hadn't been stared off.

She laughed. "Why would I want a prude? I already had one of those. I loved your Grandpa, but he was a one position, once-a-month kind of guy. I want a sex machine this time around."

While my mother was trying to get my grandmother to shush in front of company, I leaned close to Ranger.

"How am I going to know what sick feeling is being caused by the baby and what's caused by my family? Because I really want to throw up right now."

"This one is definitely your family," he said back. "I'm never sick and I'm also feeling nauseous."

"Grandma has that effect on _stud muffins_," I told him.

"Not funny, Babe."

"And I thought_ I _was the one without a sense of humor today," I said to him.

"Lester and Zero are fine, Steph. They should have known better."

"Under normal circumstances, I probably would have smacked them and then put my own money in. Threatening them was a knee jerk reaction."

"Half of my job is keeping their heads out of their asses."

I smiled. "That's not even close to true. You'd do anything for them. That's why they're loyal to you and respect you above anyone else."

"They also need to respect _you_."

"They do. My emotions are just a little out of whack lately."

"We all understand that," Ranger said, making me believe he really is the most patient person on the planet.

"Understand what?" Grandma asked. "Will you speak up? I can only hear bits and pieces of what you're talking about, but it sounds like it's good. Does this visit have something to do with Joe Morelli?"

"Why would you ask about Joe all of a sudden? It feels like we've been broken up forever."

I thought for sure Morelli wasn't that big of asshole to tell our news to my parents before I could.

"Did you talk to Joseph today?" My mother asked me.

"Umm ... yeah. Why?"

"Angie Morelli called me," my mom said. "She said that she phoned Joseph to invite him to dinner at her house tonight, but he told her he didn't want to come because he wouldn't be very good company. When she pressed him about what was wrong, Joseph said something about you, but Angie didn't catch it before he hung up. She called me to find out if I knew what had happened."

"Since when do you and Joe's mom talk?" I asked her.

"We both started going to the earlier church service on Sunday. Naturally, being the first two people to arrive every week, we exchanged pleasantries and have gotten to know each other a little better. I always thought she was standoffish, but she is really a very nice person."

"I'm sure she is," I said.

As long as you didn't dump her precious baby boy, I thought to myself.

"So is there something you'd like to tell me?" She asked.

"Actually ... there's two things," I told my mom. "You may want to sit down for them, though."

"I just opened a Entenmann's coffee cake," my mother said. "Why don't we sit in the kitchen and you can have a piece while you tell us what crazy thing you've done now."

This is harder than I thought. I _love_ coffee cake, but I _hate_ the idea of working it off later. I pictured what Valerie was like, threatening us with her fork if we came near her plate when she was pregnant. Yep, that did the trick. I'm betting it'll only get more difficult to resist junk food as the weeks progressed, but I'm going to do everything right for this kid before it comes out to offset all the stuff I'll screw up after he or she is born.

"Umm ... no thank you," I said, my words sounding strange even to me. "We can go sit in the living room with Dad ... unless Ranger wants something."

"I'm fine, Babe."

My family looked at me like I'd grown another head. I had to resist the urge to laugh since I _am_ in the process of growing another one, just on the inside of my body.

"No coffee cake?" My mother asked. "Are you sick?"

I took a step back before she could make contact. No matter how many times I've told her that I'm capable of taking my own temperature - with a thermometer - she still attacked my forehead if she thought I didn't look or act right.

"No. I'm fine. I just don't want any cake. Jeez, it's not a big deal."

"Yes, it is," Grandma said. "Seeing as how you never turned it down before."

"You can't afford to pass up food. You're already too thin," my mother told me. "You two should come to dinner more often."

"Are you going to keep Stephanie and Ranger standing by the door all day?" My dad yelled from the living room. "Or will you let them come sit down already?"

"Thanks, Dad," I yelled back, grateful to him for trying to get us a little breathing room.

We aren't a quiet family anymore than we are a normal one.

"Since you don't want cake, how about a sandwich? I just bought some roast beef and swiss cheese from the deli."

"We're okay, Mom. You don't have to feed us every time we come over. I've been doing pretty good for myself and it's been awhile since I've had to mooch dinner from you guys."

"I like feeding my children," she said. "Just because you both are grown doesn't make me want to do it any less."

"I know, Mom. And I appreciate you wanting to, but you don't have to push the issue if I say I'm not hungry."

"You_ do _harp, Helen," Grandma said.

"Don't start with that again," my mom said to Grandma Mazur. "All you had to do was tell me that you were going out with Betty Szajak, and I wouldn't have had to call around looking for you." She looked heavenward, probably asking for strength to deal with my grandmother and I. "Would you like some coffee? I can put on a fresh pot."

Oh for the love of God!

"Stephanie, bring Ranger over here," my father called. "I want to ask him something."

"We're_ fine_," I told her, before I grabbed Ranger's hand in a death grip and tugged him into the living room.

Luckily, my family hadn't noticed anything beyond our clothes, because I really wanted to tell my mother about the baby first. It's probably a little mean, and a lot immature, but I thought it would take her mind off of not being present at our wedding. She'll still have a fit, but I might not need the guys this way. She does love the idea of grandchildren, I just don't know how happy she'll be about them coming from me and Ranger.

Ranger and I aren't going to be as easygoing as Valerie and Albert. Valerie doesn't have it nearly as good as I do. There's no way I'll be dropping our baby off here just so Ranger and I can have a night to ourselves. Considering the guys' reaction, I don't think we're ever going to be desperate for a sitter. And I wasn't going to let my mother babysit if she was going to treat our baby the way she did me. Whoever this child turned out to be, he or she will be accepted.

I squeezed my dad's shoulder as he shook Ranger's hand. Of course there was nothing he wanted to ask Ranger, he was just getting us away from my mother for a minute. I had worried that my dad would have a problem with Ranger not being from the Burg, and having a somewhat extravagant lifestyle, but so far they've gotten along okay. I wasn't sure if that would change once my dad found out that Ranger got me pregnant. I remember the time he threatened to pull a knife on Diesel when he thought I was pregnant right before Valerie and Albert's impromptu wedding. I do think that once he discovers that I'm a married woman now, my dad will be fine with everything.

"Okay, lay it on us," Grandma said, getting comfortable on the couch next to Ranger and I. "What exciting thing is going on in your life now?"

"Before we get into that, switch seats with me, Ranger."

"Why?" Grandma Mazur asked. "You're not scared of a harmless little old lady, are you Ranger?"

"_He_ probably isn't," I said, "but I'm worried if your hand wanders to his side of the sofa, he'll never come back here with me. Now _scootch_."

Once Ranger was sitting out of arm's reach of Grandma, and my mother was sitting in a chair next to my father, I answered my grandmother's question.

"Do you want me to beat around the bush, or just say it without softening the blow?"

I saw my mother's face lose some of its color. I can only imagine what she's thinking right now.

"That probably wasn't the best way to start this conversation, Babe."

"I thought it was nice of me to give them an option."

"Heaven help me," my mother said. "_You're pregnant! Holy Mary mother of God!_"

"There you go again," Grandma Mazur said to my mom. "Every time Stephanie says she wants to tell us something, you automatically assume she got knocked up. Will you give it rest already?"

My mother started breathing again a little too soon.

"Actually ..." I said to my family, "she's right this time. I'm five weeks pregnant."

I reached for Ranger's hand, taking comfort from the band that was now on his finger. Whatever happens from here, I know he'll be with me. It also helped that Ranger could assign someone to keep my family away from me if they didn't take the news well.

"Hot damn!" Grandma said. "I get to see a baby of yours before I die. I know it'll be a pip. It couldn't be anything but with the two of you as parents. This is even better than you exploding another one of your cars."

"One of them is happy," I whispered to Ranger, keeping a cautious eye on my father who, at the moment, was sitting up a little straighter with his hands clutching the arms of the chair.

"It might have helped if you had started with the other information first," Ranger told me.

"I should have, but I'll never get an opportunity like this again."

"That's very mature of you, Steph," he said, his lips lifting up at the corners.

"This is probably the last time I get to act childishly about any of this, so I have to make it good."

"As long as you have a logical reason, Babe."

"Are you telling the truth?" my mother asked. "I know you like having fun at my expense, but this is too much even for you."

"Funny you should say that," I said to her, "because if you and Susie Belanger hadn't been talking about me, I wouldn't even know that I'm pregnant right now. So this is kind of _your_ fault."

"Babe."

"That's the last time," I told Ranger. "I promise."

"So you really are pregnant?" My dad asked me but was looking at Ranger.

"Yes, she is," Ranger told him.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" He asked Ranger.

This is the difference between my parents. If something went wrong with me and the guy I was seeing, my mom blamed me and my dad always blamed the guy.

"I don't make excuses for anything I do," Ranger said to him. "And I try not to regret any part of my life. This baby is unexpected, but Stephanie and I are going to do everything we can to give our child a good life."

"Are you willing to marry my daughter then?" My mother asked him.

I guess I could have just stayed at Rangeman. I appear to not be needed for this conversation.

"Do you know how hard it's going to be for Stephanie now? While it is a lot more common now for young people to have children out of wedlock, here in this neighborhood, people still talk." She turned to me. "And you know what they're going to say about you."

I guess I get to be part of the discussion again. Yay, me.

"Yep. They're going to say that I'm a slut and ..."

"No one is calling my daughter that," my dad said.

"Believe me, Dad," I told him, "I've been called worse. And it doesn't bother me. Every one of those gossip hounds have someone like me in their family, so they can't throw too many stones."

That was meant to reassure my father, but it seemed to only make his face turn red.

"Who has been calling you names?"

He should have asked who_ hasn't _called me names. It would be a much shorter list.

"It doesn't matter," I told him.

"Yes it does, Babe. No one has the right to insult you."

"They don't. But it doesn't stop them from doing it."

"Then _I_ will," Ranger said.

"You already have," I said, touching his ring again.

That little piece of metal offered me the same protection in the Burg as a handful of Rangemen did anywhere else in the world.

"You heard how they ridiculed Valerie when she was pregnant. And they'll do the same to you," my mom told me. "Why couldn't you have been more careful and not have gotten pregnant until after you decided to get married? It's not that I don't want more grandchildren, I'm just thinking about_ you _here."

"Not that I need to tell you this, but we _were_ careful. That's why Ranger and I were so shocked."

"You _will be_ taking care of my daughter," my dad said to Ranger.

"Dad, Ranger has been nothing but amazing so far. If anyone was thinking of skipping town after finding out, it was_ me_."

"Why?" Grandma asked. "I thought you wanted to be with Ranger. Lord knows it took you long enough to come around."

"I _did_, and I _do_, want to be with Ranger, but I was a little surprised that Dr. Klenshir even wanted to do a pregnancy test, never mind finding out that the thing was positive. My first instinct was to completely avoid the issue by not talking about it, but my head cleared and Ranger got me calm enough so we could figure out what to do."

"What _are_ you going to do?" My mother asked. "You certainly can't keep your job now."

"Yes I can," I told her.

"You're not serious? Stephanie, no self-respecting mother-to-be would want to be out among criminals and riff-raff like you come into contact with for that low-life Vinnie."

"That's always been the problem between you and me," I said to her. "Everything is black and white with you. Ranger and I have already discussed my job, and I'll still be doing every part of it except for the face-to-face meetings with my skips. And I'll continue working for Ranger's company in between what Vinnie gives me. This isn't going to be a eight-month vacation for me."

"You want my daughter to work while she's carrying your child?" My mom asked Ranger.

"Yes," he said. "Stephanie is happiest when she's working and being productive. But I will be watching to make sure she doesn't overdo it."

"Good for you," Grandma said to me. "I can't see you sitting on your behind, just twiddling your thumbs waiting for the baby to come."

"That's a scary image," I said to her.

"This explains why you passed on the cake," she said to me. "You probably had nightmares about Valerie dipping you in gravy and gnawing on your arm, too."

"Yep. I told Ranger to physically restrain me if he sees me go anywhere near gravy."

"Steph, I don't need to. You've been restraining yourself so far."

"It's only been twenty-four hours, the worst is yet to come."

"So you won't be coming over for dinner?" My mother asked.

"I didn't say that. If we do come, I'll just have the stuff dad refuses to eat."

"You can't starve my grandchild," my dad said. "You need good, hearty food to make a boy."

"I think the sex is decided right from the get go," I told him. "Pot roast won't change the gender of the baby. Let me take a shot in the dark here, you're hoping for a boy?"

"Of course," he said. "I've been lucky enough to have two daughters and three granddaughters, but Ranger and I need more testosterone around here."

"Albert's always here," I pointed out.

"And I stick to my original statement. There's not enough testosterone in this place."

"Jeez, we've got Lester saying it's a girl and my dad hoping for a boy. I could have raised a lot of diaper money if I let the gender bet continue," I told Ranger.

"I think we'll have enough money for diapers, Babe. We might even be able to swing food for you, too."

I rolled my eyes. Ranger humor. And judging by her horrified expression, humor my mother clearly didn't understand.

"He's kidding, Mom. We're fine money-wise."

"If you weren't," Grandma said, "you could always hawk _one_ or _both_ of those rings. I bet you'd have enough to live on for a couple months."

"No," Ranger said. "I already told Stephanie that she's not allowed to take them off for any reason."

I cut my eyes to him. "Neither are you."

"Never crossed my mind, Babe," he said, and kissed my curls.

My mother's eyes were ping-ponging back and forth between us. I suppose the change in me was noticeable. The physical contact Joe and I had in front of my parents was limited to Joe's arm around my shoulders or an elbow to Morelli's ribs from me if he agreed with anything my mother said. And the most loving words that had been spoken between us were threats of getting even for something the other one did. My relationship with Ranger is completely different than the one I had with Joe.

"So you two are planning on raising this baby together?" My mom said.

"I think that's obvious, Helen," my dad told her.

"We are. I already warned Ranger that I'd hunt him down and kill him if he left me to do this alone. Or I should say I'd ask Tank to do it, since he'd have better luck finding Ranger if he wanted to disappear."

I noticed that my mother really hadn't stayed on the subject of us getting married. Maybe she was afraid of pushing Ranger too much about marrying me. You have less control over a situation if you can't use your Burg connections to manipulate the guy.

"Hunting me won't be necessary, Steph."

"I know, but a woman always has to have a plan to fall back on."

"Tank? Is he the really big guy who normally follows you around when you're being threatened?" My mom asked.

"Yeah, that's Tank."

"Does he know about the baby?" Grandma asked.

"Yes. I wanted my men to know so they'd be extra vigilant when they are watching out for Stephanie," Ranger told her.

"As I said earlier, it's impossible for them to be any more aware than they already are."

"I bet they were excited," Grandma Mazur said. "All them tough guys are the biggest babies when it comes to children."

"They_ were _pretty happy."

"I think that's an understatement, Babe."

"You told Ranger's employees before you told your own family?" My mother asked.

I knew it was coming. Wait until she found out we got married without telling her, too.

"If it wasn't for Ranger's paranoia, _you _wouldn't even know about this right now. Ranger wanted his men - who are also my friends - told and I knew you guys would be hurt if I didn't also tell you. Don't make me regret that decision," I warned her.

She decided to back off, for now, and choose another topic which I know will likely lead to a similar warning.

"Does Joseph know?" My mother asked. "And that's why he was so upset when Angie called?"

"Joe saw us at the courthouse, and he sort of ticked me off so I ended up telling him everything."

I wonder how pissed my mother would be to know that Joe knew more about Ranger and I than she did.

"Oh Lord," my mother said. "Don't tell me someone is suing you now ... like the State of New Jersey."

"They aren't as far as I know," I told her.

"Why else would you be there?"

Her eyes flicked to Ranger. Before she could piss me off by accusing Ranger of breaking the law, I just said it. Joe and my mother inspired the same feelings in me apparently ... anger and complete exasperation.

"We were there getting married," I said, holding up both mine and Ranger's hands to show them. "If you weren't so busy complaining about me not eating your food, you probably would have noticed the rings."

"I must be slipping," Grandma said. "I should have seen that." She grabbed my hand and pulled it under her nose for a closer inspection. "They _are_ hard to miss. I bet you blind yourself when you stand in the sun."

"I've only been wearing them for a couple of hours, but I'll keep the sun thing in mind."

"Why didn't you say that you're already married?" My dad asked, settling back into his chair. "I wouldn't have had to question Ranger's staying power."

"I don't mind," Ranger said. "I like knowing that Stephanie has family looking out for her, even if means calling me into question."

My mother was quiet until that point. "It didn't occur to you that we might have wanted to be with you even if it was only a ceremony inside a courthouse?"

"Honestly ... no," I said. "Ranger really wanted us to be married and I didn't see any point in waiting. I figured since we were the two people getting married, no one else got a say in how we did it."

"Were his employees there, too?"

"Nope, just Tank." Before she could say anything about that, I cut her off. "Tank is Ranger's best friend, not just an employee. They are all almost like family anyway."

She wasn't touching the family comment. In my mother's eyes, if you weren't related by blood or marriage you weren't technically family.

My mom set her sights on Ranger next. "Since we're all being truthful finally, I'd like to know if this is a_ real _marriage or if it is like the one you had with Julie's mother?"

My voice blended in with my dad and Grandma's.

"_Mom! Helen!_"

"What? We are all wondering the same thing. I'm just the only one willing to ask. I'm worried about Stephanie."

"If you were worried about my feelings, you wouldn't have just said that. I told you before that my relationship with Ranger is off limits."

"And we are not all wondering that, Helen," my dad said to her. "You can see that Ranger loves Stephanie, with a baby or without."

"Can't you just be happy that you have a new grandbaby to look forward to?" Grandma asked her.

"It is a legitimate question," Ranger said to us.

"No, it isn't," I told him. "It was a _rude_ question. And completely uncalled for."

I shot a glare at her. If my mother didn't get a grip on her bitchiness, she won't have the chance to get to know her newest grandchild without strict supervision, if at all. No one is bad mouthing me or Ranger to our child. No doubt he or she will figure out our faults all on its own. My mother wasn't going to help things along.

"Your rudeness aside," Ranger said, giving my mother a look that had her lips suddenly clamping together, "I'll tell you what you want to know only for Stephanie's benefit. I did marry Rachel to give her the only type of support I could at the time. I was stationed overseas and not able to do anymore for her than that. We also had no illusions of staying together. I love Stephanie and my life is in Trenton now because this is where she is. I have no desire to leave her or this city."

"Isn't that a sweet thing to say?" Grandma said, nudging me. "If he says romantic stuff like that to you, it's no wonder you ended up pregnant. I'd put out, too."

This time my mother and father spoke together.

"_Mother! Edna!_"

"I told Stephanie last night the same thing I'll tell you now," Ranger continued. "I would have married her anytime she wanted me to. The baby only figured into the decision to do it today."

I squeezed his hand. "Would you believe Ranger had the rings just hanging around his apartment in case I did bring up the marriage subject?"

I heard Grandma give a longing sigh before she put her hand on my leg and looked around me at Ranger. "I don't suppose you have a single grandfather?" She asked him.

"No," he told her. "They're both taken."

"A great uncle, maybe?"

"Sorry."

"Damn."

"So you are going to honestly try to make this work?" My mother asked us. "Because it isn't going to be easy. A good marriage takes a lot of time and effort.

Yeah, for my dad mostly.

"Nothing in our lives has ever been easy," I said. "And I don't think that will suddenly change now. But we have a baby to think about, and we do love each other, so I hope that will make things go smoother."

"It will, Babe. It will also help that I don't plan on letting you out of my sight for the next year at the earliest."

"Ranger, you're aware that I won't still be pregnant in a year, right?"

"Yes. But I thought you'd flip out again if I said anything longer than twelve months."

My grandmother poked me again. "Isn't he the one?"

Between my Grandma Mazur and the guys, I felt like I'd been worked over more than a Rangeman skip. Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating a little, but the nicest way to describe Grandma Mazur's body is to say it's scrawny, and you can't help but notice how freakin' pointy her elbows are when she's jamming them into your ribs.

"He is," I said, agreeing with Grandma. "But he tends to be a little overprotective at times."

Like every second of every day.

"What's wrong with that?" My dad asked.

"Nothing," Ranger said.

"It's so nice to see you guys bonding," I told them.

"We have to stick together," my dad said to me, but was looking at Ranger for confirmation.

"With regards to Stephanie's safety ... yes."

"That's a good answer," Grandma said. "She can't get mad at you for wanting her safe."

"I always learn from my mistakes," Ranger said to her. "Steph gets upset with me if I threaten her with a safe house."

"Call me crazy, but I like being_ asked _to do something instead of _told to _do it."

"I wouldn't mind being locked in a house with you," Grandma said, leaning across me again to wink at Ranger.

At least, I think it was a wink. She could just as easily be having a stroke instead.

"Grandma, stop hitting on Ranger. He's a married man now."

"And my wife gets extremely jealous," Ranger said, grinning down at me.

"She_ does_. And I wouldn't mind a safe house if you were staying there with me, but you always want to dump me with Tank and then go off and save the world. You know, some of us would also like to keep the planet from exploding or whatever else you were trying to prevent that day."

"If the subject of a safe house comes up, Babe, it's usually because I'm trying to save_ you_."

"And you had to ask if this is a legitimate marriage?" My dad asked my mom.

"I do admit they look happy with each other."

"Do we also look like we're right in front of you and can hear what you're saying? Because _we are_, and _we can_."

"Then I'll say just what I'm thinking," she told me.

"I bet this is going to be enlightening," I said out loud when I should have only been thinking it. A common ailment with me.

"I hope for your sake, and the baby's sake, that you can turn this into a successful marriage, and still love each other through the course of it, but we will be here for you if you need us."

"You never fail to amaze me," I said to my mother. "How can you be supportive and destructive at the same time?"

"I'm just trying to let you know that we will help you if you find yourself needing your family's support."

"On the surface that's what it sounds like, but really you mean that when Ranger dumps me and the baby, you'll be around to happily pick up the pieces, just like Joe was saying for weeks after he found out I was seeing Ranger. I swear, it's almost like the two of you share the same mind sometimes."

"Babe, there will be_ no _pieces to pick up, because I'm not going anywhere. This is not a battle you need to fight."

"But ..."

"No buts, Steph. We are having a baby, and we are staying together to raise it. And that should be the end of the conversation," he said, with his eyes on my mother.

He was probably telling her to shut her pie-hole without actually saying it.

"Listen to Ranger, Stephanie," Grandma said. "If any couple can get through a pregnancy without killing each other, it'll be you two. Why do you think your mother is an only child?"

"Because she was '_difficult'_," I said, flashing back to an argument my mother and I had when I was eleven and she used that adjective to describe me.

"Helen _was_ difficult. And so was your grandfather. It was like taking care of two children at once."

"Mother."

"It's the truth. Your father wanted to be the center of attention, and so did you. I tried my best," Grandma said, turning to me, "and you see how well that turned out. One's dead and the other ... well you've met your mother. I don't have to explain that one."

"Really, Mother. Do you have to make such a big deal out of everything? Dad was a good man."

"Didn't say he wasn't. He was just uptight and stuck in his ways."

"You mean he_ was _just like I am_ now_?"

"_You_ said it, _I_ didn't," Grandma told her.

"But that is what you meant."

"Yep. You're like your father through and through. Valerie and Angie take after him, too. Stephanie and Mary Alice are more like my side of the family."

My dad sat forward and spoke to Ranger. "Kind of makes you nervous about how this kid is going to turn out, doesn't it?"

"Hah-hah, Dad. Ranger's family is completely normal, so our child will have a fifty-fifty shot at being sane."

"Babe."

"Tell me I'm wrong," I told him. "If this kid is anything like me, we're in trouble."

"I don't know about that, Steph. I wouldn't mind another you in the world."

"I know at least a hundred people who would disagree with you."

"Let them. My opinion is the only one that matters," Ranger said, his eyes crinkling a little.

"To _you_, maybe."

Ranger didn't need to hear again that his opinion has always been the most important one to me. I didn't want to make his ego any healthier. It's possible that his ego is in fact in better condition than his body, but Ranger can back up everything he says so no one, except Joe, disliked him for it.

"I can't wait to rub that Millicent Beacher's nose in this," Grandma said. "She's always going on about how beautiful her great granddaughter is going to be, but no baby is going to be able to tops yours, what with your looks and smarts."

"Ranger _is_ brawny_ and _brainy," I said.

"I'm not talking about just Ranger, though he_ is _impressive," Grandma told me, "but you too, Stephanie. You never see just how pretty and smart you are."

"Umm ... thanks." I wasn't used to outright compliments. "I hate to ruin your fun, but you can only tell Valerie about this," I said. "I want to give the news to Mary Lou and everyone at the bonds office myself, so I'd like for you to keep this quiet for a day or two before the Burg finds out."

I'd like to ask for a week at least, but I knew they'd only last forty-eight hours tops.

"You expect us to zip our lips about something this big?"

"Yes._ Our _baby, _our_ rules."

Somehow I knew I'd be repeating those words often.

"But I have to call Angie Morelli back and let her know what's wrong with Joseph," my mother said.

"Why?" I asked. "Joe isn't your responsibility. And _he's_ not your family, _I_ am. What I want should come before him. Joe can tell her himself if he wants to talk about it."

"You don't feel sorry for him after all the times that he's told you he wanted a family, and now you're the one married with a child coming?"

"Helen, Ranger is sitting right here," my dad said. "I don't think he wants to listen to Joe's plans regarding his wife."

"Joe Morelli doesn't figure into Stephanie's life anymore," Ranger said. "If she wanted to be with him, she wouldn't be married to me and having my baby."

"Guess that's why you didn't tie the knot with Joe all those times you could have," Grandma said to me. "You were waiting for Ranger, weren't you?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately for everyone involved, I didn't know he was also waiting for me."

"I was, Babe. And you've been worth the wait."

"If you wouldn't have taken so long, you might be working on my fifth great-grandchild right now instead of my fourth," Grandma said.

"You'll have to talk to Valerie if you want a fifth one. I'm done after this."

"Why would you say that?" My mother asked. "You got a late start, but you still have a few years left to have more."

"You went from feeling bad for Joe right to more grandchildren from Ranger and I?"

"You can never have too many grandchildren," she said. "And now that I know you did the sensible thing and got married, there will be very little gossip about us."

And that is just the type of mentality that I'd do anything to change.

"I hope this one doesn't think it's a horse, though," Grandma said. "There's only so much whinnying a person can take."

"I don't want to have more children," I told her. "I'm still struggling with this one, and it's not even born yet."

"You'll be fine, Steph," Ranger said, sliding his arm around me."Once you stop underestimating yourself."

"You'll do great, Stephanie," Grandma added. "And I don't mind coming over to that Rangeman building and helping you out. That is where you'll be living, right? I don't see Ranger staying in that dinky little apartment of yours. Even I chose living with your parents over that place."

"Thanks a lot, Grandma," I said. "My apartment isn't that bad."

"Then why haven't_ you _been staying in it?" She asked.

Okay, so it really is that bad.

"And thanks for the offer to help, Grandma, but we seem to already have a line forming for want-to-be babysitters."

"Those hunky Rangemen?"

"Yes," I told her. "And I bet Ella will be fussing as soon as we tell her. Which we'll do after we leave here."

"You don't have to ask them," my mother said. "Any time you need someone to babysit, you can drop the baby off here."

"That's nice of you to say," I told her, "but we'll be okay."

My mother went still. "You don't want the baby here?"

"That's not exactly what I said."

"What did you say then?"

"That I don't want this baby to feel like I did growing up."

"You had a great childhood," my mother said.

"Helen," my dad told her, "let her finish before you go on the defensive."

"Frank, we did a lot to make sure our girls had a good life. It doesn't bother you to hear Stephanie say that she didn't enjoy it?"

"I'm waiting to see what Stephanie has to say before I jump to conclusions. And you should do the same."

"Thanks, Dad. Parts of my childhood were great, but I don't want our kid to think that there's something wrong with it because they don't think the same way as everyone around them."

"We never made you feel different," my mom said.

"Helen," Grandma said, "you did nothing but. How do you think we ended up with Dickie as a son-in-law?"

"Stephanie_ wanted _to marry him."

"No, _you_ wanted me to marry him and I was trying to make you and his mother happy. And I got burned big time. Same with Joe. I stayed with Morelli for as long as I did just to keep the tongues from wagging and you from trying to set me up with someone's second cousin three times removed. I don't want that for my own child. I want him or her to be self-assured, happy in their own skin, and not have to apologize just for breathing."

"You don't owe an apology to anyone," Ranger told me.

I leaned into his side. "I know that now, but it took me over thirty years to figure it out. I don't want our kid to ever question him or herself."

"What do you want us to do differently?" My dad asked. "I want to see my grandson."

I rolled my eyes. Lester and my dad are going to cancel each other out I guess.

"I don't want anyone saying anything negative about Stephanie," Ranger said, not giving me a chance to answer.

"It's okay, Ranger. I can speak for myself on this."

"Go get 'em, Babe," he told me, his mouth smiling slightly.

"You have to stop expecting me to be someone else. Believe it or not, I like who I am. And I want my child to like me, too."

"Babe, I told you that it's impossible not to like you. You even managed to win over Tank."

"Tank doesn't realize it, but he's a closet softy."

"We also like the woman you've become," my dad said to me.

"And you've been great about helping your sister get settled in Trenton again. You're always there for your grandmother, too. Taking her to viewings or to get her hair done."

I tried not to sigh. "That's what I can_ do_, not who_ I am_, but it's close enough for now. This isn't really about me, it's about our baby. I just want you to know that Ranger and I will make the rules when it comes to how this kid is cared for. Which will mean no talking bad about me, Ranger, our kid, or our friends," I said, looking at my mother. "No under your breath insults about the guys watching us, Ranger's family after you meet them, Connie and Lula, or anyone this kid is going to be seeing on a daily basis. There will be no brainwashing of any kind."

"_Brainwashing_, Steph?" Ranger asked.

"Okay, maybe it's not brainwashing exactly, but it's close. And I don't want my child exposed to it. Also no comments about people who aren't Italian, Dad. This baby is only going to be a quarter Italian and I don't want him or her to feel that they don't fit into our family."

"That won't be a problem, Stephanie," my dad said. "Ranger has shown me that some non-Italians can be okay."

"_Dad _..."

"I'm kidding. Is there any other 'rules' we need to follow?"

"Ranger's probably going to want our kid to eat better than I do."

"Steph, I think we can wait until our child has teeth before we start discussing dietary changes."

"I wish_ I _could wait that long, too."

"Putting too much pressure on yourself is just as bad as cake, Babe," he told me.

"I won't get obsessed. I promise."

"Good."

I cut my eyes to my mother. "Mom, you can promise to watch what you say around the baby, right? And before you answer, just remember that I have ten people across town who want to be the first one called to watch the baby. And these men have seen serious combat, so I'm sure they're more qualified to take care of a child made up of Ranger's and my combined DNA."

"Unlike what you obviously think, Stephanie," my mom said, "I'm not a terrible person, but if it will ensure me access to my grandchild, I will promise to only say nice things about everyone around me."

"Are you being sarcastic?" I asked her.

"No. I'm telling you what you want to hear."

"Oh, I got _that_," I told her, "but I need you to swear that you'll do everything I asked and learn how to censor yourself."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," my mother said, cursing in her own distinct way. "I swear I'll be on my best behavior. What would you like me to do to prove it? Write it out in blood?"

"If you could, that would be great."

"I have a switchblade upstairs under my pillow," Grandma added helpfully.

"I was sort of joking, but I won't be if I find out someone went against what we asked for."

"Don't worry, Stephanie," Grandma Mazur said, "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Mother."

"I'm doing you a favor, Helen, so pipe down."

The rest of the visit was uneventful after that. We discussed my moving into Ranger's apartment and when we'd tell Ranger's parents and Julie. And after a half hour, most of my anxiety regarding my mother had lessened. I wasn't afraid to go to bat with her anymore. All my priorities have shifted in a single day. I was really hoping that the threat of not being able to see her grandchild, and also knowing I have Ella and the guys as backup, will be enough of an incentive to keep her tongue unforked. I won't have to depend on her like Valerie does, so she has no leverage to use against me or what I've asked of her. She can either be mean, or be a grandmother to my baby. In my mind, the choice is clear. We'll see if it's clear in her mind as well.

We said our goodbyes and on the way back to Ranger's building, I asked him what I'd been wondering since Lester mentioned the baby being a girl.

"Ranger?"

"Yes, Babe?"

"Since everyone else has told us their baby preference, do you have one?"

"You want to know if I want a son or a daughter?"

"Yeah. I know when everyone is asked that, they always say it doesn't matter as long as the baby is healthy, but if we were guaranteed a trouble-free pregnancy and that the baby will be born okay ..."

"Your pregnancy_ will _go well, Babe. And this baby_ will _be perfect."

I rolled my eyes again. Someday Ranger will have to admit that there are some things he won't have a say in the outcome of.

"Seriously, though," I told him. "Do you want a boy because you have Julie, or another girl?"

"Truthfully?"

"Yes."

"I would like another girl," Ranger said, shocking the crap out of me.

"Really? I thought for sure you'd want a boy. Isn't that what every guy wants? A son to carry on the family name, to take over their business, or go to hockey games with?"

"First off, Babe, women don't have to change their names after getting married anymore, and either way this baby will be born a Manoso. Second, your father doesn't seem to mind being surrounded by estrogen. And lastly, _you'll_ probably be the one going to hockey games."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. I think it will be hard for a son of mine to get out from underneath my shadow."

He wasn't saying that to brag or anything. Ranger was stating a fact. A fact that the men who work for him have to face every day. No one can be like Ranger. He is one of a kind, and hands down the best at everything he does. His are big Bates boots to fill, and even the men at Rangeman combined couldn't come close to doing it. So I did see his point.

"I've made a name for myself," Ranger said, stopping briefly for a light before continuing, "and if we have a boy, he is automatically going to be compared to me, and I don't like the thought of any child, especially one of mine, thinking they're coming up short in any way."

"That makes sense," I told him. "It would be hard to take over wearing Batman's cape."

"Babe."

"I'm not kidding. It would be a horrible feeling to think that you might not live up to your father's legend. I know I've spent a good chunk of my childhood wondering what was wrong with me because nothing I did, or wanted to do, seemed to satisfy my mother."

"I'll love any child we have, but if I had a choice, I'd choose another girl. All she'll have to worry about is which college to go to and how many of her boyfriends I end up killing."

"I wish I could be sure that you're joking," I said to Ranger.

"So do I, Babe."

"I guess it's a good thing that I set the bar low in case we have a girl then. She'll have no problem being better than I am at almost everything."

"You heard me when I told your family not to say anything bad about you, Stephanie, and you're included in that. You are a beautiful, capable, loving woman who has won the hearts of everyone you've met. And I won't let you think otherwise. Children learn the most from watching what their parents do, and I want you to remember that if you criticize yourself in front of our child, then he or she is going to think it's alright to do the same. Do you want our child growing up that way?"

"No fucking way," I said.

In just a few sentences, Ranger erased the last of my doubts about myself. I may never reach Ranger's confidence level, but I'll be damned if I let our kid see that.

"That's the spirit, Babe.

Ranger pulled into the Rangeman garage and parked in the spot closest to the elevator. I could see it was Ella standing there this time instead of the guys, pacing back and forth in front of the elevator with Louis apparently trying to stay out of her way.

"She knows," I said to Ranger. "No wonder you hired her. She has a way of getting information out of people, too."

I barely made it out of the car to wave to the guys coming in behind us - it looked like Ram and Vince - before Ella got her arms around me. It's a good thing I have a layer of doughnut between the baby and the outside world or some damage could have been done to it today.

"How did you find out?" I asked her, when she pulled back a couple of inches. "We were actually on our way to tell you."

"I overheard some of the men talking when I brought in lunch," Ella said, finally letting me go. "I'm so excited for the two of you. Can you imagine a baby here in the building?"

She was probably just thinking out loud, not asking a real question, but I answered her.

"No, I can't. Not yet, anyway.

"Sorry, Ranger, Stephanie," Louis said to us. "I tried to get her to wait, but she snuck out on me."

"I told the guys on duty that I'd take all the food away if they didn't tell me the second you were on your way back."

"That's sneaky," I told her, completely impressed.

"Yes, I know. And the threat has never failed. I don't want to intrude on your day, I just had to say how happy I am to hear about the two of you getting married and having a baby. You deserve every bit of happiness you have together."

"Ella, dear," Louis said, "_breathe_."

"I_ am _breathing, otherwise I wouldn't be able to speak right now."

"Maybe they'd prefer it if you didn't."

"You can leave Ella alone, Louis," I told him. "Hearing how happy everyone is for us is actually helping me through this."

"You're okay with how everything has turned out now?" Ranger asked me, dropping his arm across my shoulders.

"You know what? I think I might be."

"Did you happen to get any photos of the ceremony?" Ella asked. Something my own mother hadn't brought up. "I'd love to see them."

"Yes. Tank took a couple for me on my phone."

"Good. You'll want pictures to remember a day like today," she said.

In my case, I think I'll have _a baby _to remind me of this day.

We all got into the elevator, and while I was showing Ella the pictures of our last minute wedding, I realized that I believed everything I'd said today at my parents' house. I _do_ like myself, faults and all. And although I agree with my mother that being a wife and mother won't be easy, I was finally ready to admit that I was up for the challenge.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again for all your reviews of Baby Steps. After this chapter just about all of the important people will know about the baby, the rest will be added in later, so I'm hoping to finally move on to how Stephanie and Ranger handle the coming months. All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 5**

The morning after we told my family, I got started on a routine that will last as long as my pregnancy does. Maybe it'll become such a habit by then that I'll continue it even after. Ranger and I compromised so we could go down to the gym together. He got up an hour and a half later than usual, and I got up _only_ two hours earlier because I'm not insane like Ranger. I find it really depressing when I'm awake and everyone except the Rangemen on duty are still happily sleeping. To me, predawn has an end of the world feeling that I don't much care for. I was okay to do some regular exercise - walking on the treadmill, using an elliptical machine, and a few light weights, but nothing hard-core. Not that I ever did serious workouts, but now I have a legitimate reason for not trying to run five miles.

The gym went silent when Ranger and I walked in. Maybe it was because the guys usually got a warning - like me cussing out Ranger for dragging me down here - and this time my voice hadn't been raised to alert them to our arrival. I suppose it could also be that Ranger appeared to be running late. And everyone knows that Ranger is rarely late for _anything. _I found out the real reason, though, after choosing a machine next to Ranger's. It was concern for me that had them acting strange. I felt every eye on me as I started walking. I was used to this, since I'm the only woman aside from Ella in an all male building, but this was a different type of staring. I swear one or two of the men had crept closer to us, and I saw water bottles in everyone's hand. I should point out that none of them were drinking, either. If I didn't know better, I'd think they're already starting to hover. Maybe I _didn't_ know better, because when I bumped the machine up to a faster pace, I caught them looking around at each other and then to Ranger like someone should be doing something to stop me.

After five minutes of this, I turned the treadmill off and faced them.

"Guys, you're more nervous than I am. I'm capable of moving around a little without causing any problems. In fact, it's recommended so you can all relax."

"Sorry, Steph," Binkie said. "We just want to be sure you and the baby are okay."

"We are," I told everyone. "I know I didn't exactly sound like it yesterday, but I'm actually looking forward to meeting this kid. And I'm not about to jeopardize that by doing something that could hurt the baby. You have to trust me on that or we're going to drive each other nuts. I'd like to think that you all believe that I'll take care of both of us without needing twenty-four hour a day surveillance."

"We do trust you, Steph," Zero said. "We all think any kid would be proud to call you _Mom_."

"Thanks, Zero. I hope that's true."

"It will be, Babe," Ranger said, handing me a bottle of water which earned him a slight frown from the other guys.

I took a sip then screwed the cap back on.

"Now, can I get back to my workout without you all waiting for me to keel over?"

"Yeah," Ram said. "Just take it easy."

"I will."

"I didn't think I'd ever hear you defend your need to exercise," Ramon said to me.

"I don't want to be too out of shape when I have the baby," I told them. "And everything I've read so far says that regular exercise will make for an easier pregnancy. It will also help with the delivery and may even get my pre-baby body back faster, too."

Ram nodded like he already knew this. Then again, is there anything these guys don't know?

"Are you working at your desk after you're done here?" He asked.

"Yeah," I told him. "We don't have to be at Ranger's parents' house until six-thirty, so I need something to do to keep my mind off of it."

"They already like and approve of you, Steph," Ranger said, circling my waist with his arm. "Don't look for trouble where there isn't going to be any."

I prayed he was right. I couldn't speak to Ranger's mother like I had mine. I'm really hoping she'll accept me and the baby, and that I won't have to explain myself or need to convince his family that I would've married their son under_ any _circumstance.

"You know your family better than I do, so I'm going to take your word for it."

"Only on this?" Ranger asked, his lips kicked up at the corners.

"Okay, on _everything_," I said, and kissed the underside of his jaw.

I stepped away from him and went back to the machine I'd been using. Zero took the one on the other side of me, sandwiching me between him and Ranger.

"Care to see who makes it to a mile first?" He asked me.

I smiled at him. "Make it _two_."

I got off thirty-five minutes later. Zero was closing in on mile four, but I didn't mind losing. I felt good, not worn out like I usually am when Ranger insisted I _run_ the two miles.

"You look like you enjoyed that," Ranger said to me, as we walked out of the gym and took the stairs back to the apartment to clean up.

"I did. It's a little different to see your body as something other than one that should just look good in jeans."

"Looking good in jeans," Ranger said, opening the door to the apartment, "is okay, too, Babe."

"It is, but that's not my primary reason for facing the gym every morning anymore."

"You seem to have come to grips with this after standing up to your mother," Ranger told me.

"It finally dawned on me that I'm all that's standing between our baby and people like my mother. You'll protect him or her, too. But I'm the sole provider for this child for the next eightish months. And then we're going to give this baby the life I wish I had. I don't want our baby to ever think I didn't want it. Yeah, this wasn't at all planned, but from here on in,_ we're _the ones who decide how this child is treated, and there will be no question of it being wanted. I did go a little nutso, but it won't happen again. Not much, anyway. Hearing my mother question us made me mad, but it also opened my eyes. I don't want to be her. And I don't want my baby to feel like she made me feel. So I'm committing myself fully to making sure that doesn't happen."

"If nothing else," Ranger said, "I'm glad that you see what an incredible person you are, and are willing to let our child see it, too."

He kissed my curls before he gently pushed me into the bathroom. I showered quickly and pulled my damp hair back into a ponytail before donning my Rangeman uniform. I wonder if Ella's going to find a way of getting uniforms to fit me later on since I'm the only pregnant employee in Rangeman history.

Ranger was quicker than me at showering and getting dressed, and he had already let Ella in by the time I made it to the kitchen. She put the breakfast tray down and turned to me.

"How are you doing?" She asked me.

"So far so good," I told her.

"I made you a breakfast similar to Ranger's, because you need as many nutrients as you can get now."

"It's okay, Ella. I'm not going to beg you to make me cinnamon rolls or chocolate-chocolate chip muffins anymore."

She let out a relieved breath. "I was afraid I might have to sneak vegetables into your brownies," she told me.

"Nope. Ranger has finally worn me down."

"Funny, Babe."

"I made you an omelet with plenty of vegetables," Ella told me, "whole-grain toast, and fresh fruit."

"Thanks, Ella. It looks good," I told her. "I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to feed myself instead of relying on you and peanut butter."

"I'll be here whenever you need me," Ella said, "but I'll give you a few pointers in case I can't."

"I'd appreciate any help you can offer. I'll be lost at the grocery store now. I used to shop in only two aisles and be out in ten minutes."

"That will have to change," Ella told me, sounding a lot like Ranger for a minute. "We'll go together this weekend and I'll show you where you should be shopping."

"Sounds good."

"You'll also need to start thinking about what to feed the baby after he or she is born."

"I know that one already," I said to Ella. "Breast milk or formula. Then those little containers of ground up fruit and vegetables."

"You can actually grind up those fruits and vegetables yourself," Ella said. "They'll taste better and be healthier for the baby."

Uh-oh. I was counting on store bought baby food. That's what Valerie used, and all my nieces are healthy and happy. Okay, one thinks she's a horse, but I don't think the Gerber baby can be blamed for that. I didn't know people made their own baby food. I suppose I knew it was possible to do it, but I don't know why you'd want to. There seems to be a never-ending list of stuff I need to know how to do now.

"Ella," Ranger said, intervening, "why don't we save this conversation for a later date, like when the baby gets here."

I gave him a grateful look. I had just decided that I can be a good parent, only to be momentarily blind-sided by baby food. If cloth diapers are mentioned, I'm out of here. I have no desire to wash baby poop out of fabric everyday.

"Sorry, Stephanie," Ella said. "I didn't mean to overwhelm you. Louis is always telling me that I get carried away."

"It's okay, Ella. I'm used to feeling overwhelmed."

"I'm only one floor and a phone call away," Ella told me. "Anytime, day or night."

For a person who isn't a big hugger, I had to give Ella one. After having to all but deny my mother visitation rights to get her to see that Ranger and I are raising this baby together, and that_ we _are the parents here, Ella is a refreshing change. She wanted our baby to have the best of everything, but was quick to apologize if she thought she may have come on a little too strong.

I let Ella go and smiled at her. "Thank you. I'll probably be taking you up on the _anytime_ part."

"I hope you do," she said. "We don't have any grandchildren, so I'm looking forward to making this baby an honorary Guzman."

Ella squeezed my hand for a second while she smiled at Ranger, then left us to our breakfast.

"I love that woman," I said to Ranger.

"It's mutual, Babe."

We sat down and I dug into my omelet which looked like it had spinach, mushrooms, and peppers stuffed into it. It was actually good even with all that produce in it._ I _normally would've wanted to add cheese and a side of homefries to it, but I'm determined to keep an open mind about all this healthy food crap.

We finished breakfast and twenty minutes later Ranger walked me to my cubby on five. He probably would have left after giving me a thorough kiss, but he was just as curious as I was to see what was inside the box sitting next to the computer on my desk. It was wrapped in paper with tiny pastel baby feet all over it. My heart and my gut got a little tight seeing it. My body didn't really feel any different yet, so this present made me realize that this baby is in fact a reality. I _am_ pregnant. And in a few months, a new little Ranger or Stephanie will be here with all of us.

All the guys who had been in the control room gathered around my cubby door. No surprise, Lester was leading the pack. Ranger stood close to me as I unwrapped the box and saw a weeks worth of little onesies inside when I lifted the cover.

"I wanted to be the first one to buy something for the baby," Lester said.

"That's so sweet, Lester," I said to him.

The warm fuzzy feeling lasted only until I took out the first one and read what it said. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Lester to be sweet and an ass all at once.

"_Can't Talk Yet But I Can Still Kick Your Ass_?" I read out loud to everyone.

The guys all laughed, and Ranger looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, too.

"Yeah, this is going to be one tough kid," Lester said. "Keep going."

"_Party ... My Crib 3 am BYOB_," I said. "_Seriously_?"

"Yeah, Steph," Woody said. "Don't you know that babies are always awake at three in the morning wanting a bottle?"

"No. And it is possible that this baby will take after me and want to sleep as much as possible," I told him, praying for exactly that. "Okay, _this one _I like, Lester."

"What is it, Babe?" Ranger asked, looking at my hands to see what I pulled out next.

"_Of Course I'm Cute, Look How Hot My Mom Is_," I read to Ranger.

Ranger wasn't as happy about that one as I was.

"_Santos_ ..."

"What?" He asked. "Like you don't think Steph's hot?"

"I _know_ she is," Ranger said to Lester, "but _you_ don't get to comment on it."

"It's okay, Ranger. You're the only one who knows just _how_ hot I am."

He smiled.

"Sure, rub it in," Lester said.

"What's next?" Vince asked.

They're really getting into this.

"_Kickin' Ass and Takin' Naps_," I told him, picking up the next one.

"I like it," Bones said. "The skull adds even more attitude to it."

_Bones_ would say that considering_ his _name, I thought to myself.

I laughed before I read the next one out loud. "_My Other Car Seat Is In A Porsche. _Hmm ... will there be a car seat in the Porsche? I do have to find a decent car soon."

"You know that the Cayenne is yours, Babe, and there will be a car seat in any other car we need one in."

"I had a feeling you'd say that. I have a hard time picturing one in the Turbo, though."

"Maybe we'll keep that car for date nights only," he told me.

That made me really want to kiss him. Hey, wait a minute, he's my _husband _now. I_ can _kiss Ranger anytime I want to, so I did.

"What was that for?" Ranger asked, when I pulled back.

"For already planning on taking me on dates. I don't want to just be your baby's mother, Ranger. I want to stay first and foremost the woman you fell in love with."

"You_ are, _and will continue to be, the woman I love, Steph. A baby won't change that."

I hope so.

"Are you done talking about yourselves now?" Lester asked. "Let's get back to me."

"Sorry. I lost my head there for a minute," I said, rolling my eyes again.

I wonder if I could count eye-rolling as exercise.

The next one was actually cute. It was made of camouflage material and had a picture of little dog tags that looked like the baby would be wearing them like soldiers do when the outfit is on.

"That's to remind you of all of us," Lester said.

"I don't need a reminder, Lester. You guys are never far from my mind." Or my car's bumper, I mentally added.

Ranger reached into the box and got another one. "_I Just Did 9 Months In Solitary Confinement_," Ranger said to us.

"Oh, great, Lester. A prison reference?"

"It's funny, Steph," Zero said, "because it _is_ a prison reference."

Merry Men humor is apparently weirder than Ranger's.

"The next one is my favorite," Bobby said. "Since it'll cover whoever is on mommy and baby watch."

That made me nervous. I lifted it out of the tissue paper and held it up for Ranger to see.

"_My Uncle Is Single Ask Mom For Details_," Ranger said. "Forget it, Santos. Our baby is not going to be used as a dating tool."

"It's not like it'd be hurting anyone," Lester said. "And women love babies. Except for Steph, here."

"Hey! I like babies," I said, defending myself.

Just because I didn't feel compelled to have one myself, doesn't make me a baby-hater. Jeez.

Lester must not have been willing to bet everything on the baby being a girl, because the onesies were all in either green, white, or black. It was too bad, too. If there had been pink or blue ones, I'd have a solid excuse not to use some of them.

"Black?" I asked Lester, pulling out three more.

Only a_ Rangeman _would think black is a suitable color for baby clothes.

"Yeah," Lester said. "Since Ranger doesn't let anyone on floor without a uniform, I also included a couple with the Rangeman logo. There's no way you're keeping this kid to yourself."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I told him, and looked at Ranger.

Judging by the amusement I could see in his eyes, I think Ranger was thinking the same thing I was. The seventh floor would be invaded by a large group of unhappy Merry Men if we kept the baby away from the guys too long. Okay, Ranger never called his employees the _Merry Men_, but everything else is probably the same.

I held up the tiny outfit with Ranger's name on it and couldn't believe that I'm going to be in charge of someone this small.

I put everything back inside the box and reached past Ranger to give Lester a hug.

"Thank you," I told him, quietly.

"Just because you chose Ranger over all of us," Lester said, giving me a friendly squeeze before releasing me, "you are _still_ one of the most important people to everyone here."

"He's right, Steph," Bobby said. "You're like the one that got away to most of us, the little sister some of us never had, and the friend we all count on."

"Okay," I said to him, "you'd better stop being so nice to me or you'll have a blubbering idiot on your hands in a few seconds."

"You can get as emotional as you want, Steph," Hal said. "We can take it."

"Well,_ I _can't," I told him. "One of the downsides to being female is that everything is connected to our tear ducts. If we're happy, sad, or angry we cry. And we have a hard time controlling the water flow."

"Which are you now, Babe?"

I kept my eyes still this time. "Like you don't know," I said to Ranger. He_ always _knows what mood I'm in. "I'm _happy_. And surprisingly enough, Lester just made me more so."

"_Hey_," Lester said, trying to look offended.

It didn't work. Nothing offended Lester ... except for maybe Lula.

"Now if I can get past dinner tonight, I'll be even better."

"Stephanie, you need to put your energy into other things," Ranger said. "My family is going to be all right with this."

"And they're fine with you, too," Tank said, joining the impromptu gathering and our conversation.

I really need a bigger cubby.

"They've been pumping me for information for years," Tank said, "before Ranger finally told them about you. Of course, Ranger started off by saying there's no way of explaining you, so they'd have to meet you themselves."

"Thanks for the help, Tank," Ranger said.

"Anytime."

"You're as bad an instigator as Lester," I told him.

"I wasn't instigating anything this time," Lester said to me. "I was just buying a gift for our baby. You'd be surprised how many chicks still hit on you while you're buying baby shit."

"To be fair to them, Lester," I said, "not many women have been exposed to someone like you. I have Ranger so I don't see what everyone else does, but according to Mary Lou, Connie, and Lula, you have an above average hotness."

"That is true."

"Actually ... you all do. And thanks for the heads up on the skanks," I told him. "I now know not to let Ranger go shopping without me."

"Babe."

Lester laughed. "Steph, you don't have_ anything _to worry about there. Ranger isn't interested in anyone else. And it's getting worse, too. We have to keep the conference room door closed now, because if Bossman catches sight of you, he loses his train of thought."

"You're making that up," I accused him.

"Only the part about him not paying attention. We all know that Ranger can do twenty things while us normal people only manage one, but he does keep you in his peripheral vision when you're around."

"Really?"

"I've heard you mention your neck tingling whenever Ranger's around," Bobby said. "I think Ranger's is a _full body _tingle if you get what I'm saying."

"I do. And I appreciate you saying it."

"It's a very pleasant tingle, too, Babe."

I pressed a quick kiss to his lips before turning to the guys again.

"I think I'm actually starting to look forward to all the crappy side effects now."

"You want to throw up?" Tank asked.

"_No_. Okay, maybe I can do without that one. But aside from this gift, it's hard for me to believe that we're having a baby. My body doesn't look any different, I can't feel anything moving, and they'll be no picture for another couple of weeks."

"You don't want to rush anything, Steph," Ranger said.

"I know, but at least if we could hear a heartbeat, or see a picture, I'd have proof that a baby is on the way."

"You've already moved from denial to wanting concrete proof?" Ranger asked me.

"Yup. Denial wasn't working at all, so now I'm quickly adjusting to the idea of a baby, and I'm anxious to feel _something_."

"You'd better hope this baby doesn't end up overdue," Tank said to Ranger, "or you'll be in trouble."

"Patience isn't my thing," I said to him. "So sue me."

"We're all just as impatient," Lester said. "But any child of yours is going to be worth the eight-month wait."

I sighed. "_Eight months _is a freakin' long time."

"You'd better sleep as much as you can now," Bobby said. "My sister claims she didn't sleep for a solid month after my niece was born."

"That doesn't sound good," I said to him. "I get grouchy with no sleep."

"You get grouchy with no sugar or caffeine, too," Ram said.

"Are you trying to annoy me, Ram?" I asked him.

"No. I'm just pointing out what we've all noticed."

"Well, stop it," I told him.

"Yes, Ma'am."

I gave him my best Burg death glare as opposed to punching him, since I'm trying to mature a little.

"Leave Steph alone, Ram," Lester said. "I know from experience that you don't want to piss her off."

"Don't I know it," Bobby said. "She once made me talk to Vinnie as punishment for joking about her takedown technique. Scariest ten minutes of my life."

"_Vinnie _enjoyed himself," I told Bobby. "He stayed holed-up in his office for the rest of the day."

Bobby shuddered. "I needed three hot showers and a scrub brush to get his creepy gaze off of me."

"I did feel a little sorry for that," I told him.

"Not sorry enough. I prefer Ranger's punishments to yours."

"I'm not _that_ bad," I said.

"You are," Tank said.

"But we love you for it," Lester added.

"Okay, I must be having a hormone attack, because I feel like kissing each and every one of you right now."

"Kiss away," Lester said, holding out his arms to me.

"Not going to happen," Ranger told him.

"You can't blame a guy for trying."

"Yes I can," Ranger said. "And I _will _if you continue to do it."

"Thank you again for our gift, Lester," I told him. "I think we should all get back to work now before we get in trouble."

"That's impossible for _you_," Bones said. "Well ... in this building anyway. You get into trouble plenty elsewhere."

"Let me rephrase that, I don't want _Lester_ to get into trouble after being so sweet to me and the baby, even though some of the onesies should be bleeped."

"Santos himself should be bleeped," Tank said.

"You're all a bunch of haters," Lester said. "Only Stephanie can appreciate me."

"I appreciate _all _of you. I don't play favorites among you guys."

"You should," Bobby said. "Because you know it'd be me."

"Dream on," Lester said.

"You know what_ I _dream about?" Tank asked. "You guys actually working for a change."

"We're leaving," Bobby said. "We'll see you in the gym tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think."

"You don't have to, Babe."

"I know, but I sort of want to."

"Yup," Ram said, "things are changing around here."

"For the better," Tank said, looking between Ranger and I.

"I believe that now," I said. "If I could just get someone to do my searches for me, I'd have it made."

"You say that," Ranger said, "but you don't really mean it."

"No, I don't. I need something to do in between skips."

"Don't stress the baby out tonight," Bobby said.

I laughed. "I'll try not to. I promise."

"You'll be okay, Steph," Tank told me. "_Everyone_ loves you, and Ranger's family is no different."

"Thanks, Tank."

The guys went back to work and Ranger came to sit on the edge of my desk.

"We're not using any of those, Babe," he said, nodding to the box.

"I don't know, a couple of them are kind of adorable."

"No they aren't."

"Either way, they're eventually going in one of those commemorative baby boxes. It's the first gift we got, and it came from Lester, so they are all special."

"_Special_ isn't the word I'd use," Ranger said.

"No. You'd probably use something that would require a censor button."

"When have_ you _ever censored anything?"

I blew out a sigh. "Never. And people tend to hold it against me."

"You know what I'd like to hold against me right now?" Ranger asked, flipping his sexy switch on.

"Me?"

"That should never be a question, Babe."

"It's not. And we still have a full work day ahead of us, and an evening at your parents, before you can do _anything_ to, or against, me."

"I am the boss, Steph."

"And that means you have to set a good example."

"No. It means I can do whatever I want."

"But I'm just an employee, so _I_ can't."

"You're not a_ just _anything," Ranger told me.

"You really are the sweetest man I've ever met," I said.

"Babe, you were hanging out with Morelli, so that's not exactly high praise."

"How about if I say that you're the sexiest, smartest, and most brilliant man on earth?"

He dipped his head and nibbled on my bottom lip before speaking.

"Much better, Steph."

"How about me? Aren't you going to say something nice about me?"

"Babe, I haven't found any words that come close to describing how perfect you are for me."

"How about just saying that you love me?" I said. "I'm totally fine with that."

"I do love you, Babe," he said. "Words can't come close to describing that, either." And he kissed me.

"I'm a believer," I told him, when he raised his head. "And that will have to do until we get home tonight."

"It doesn't have to, Babe."

I kissed his mouth again and then gave him a slight nudge towards his office.

"You can show me what I'm missing later."

"I'll be back to get you at four," Ranger told me.

"I'll be here."

I finished my work by three-thirty and was looking through the box of onesies again, fingering the fabric while trying to picture them on our baby, or _one_ of them anyway.

"You really are getting better with this, aren't you?" Ranger asked, sneaking up on me.

"Yeah. Can you imagine Halloween with a kid? He or she can be The President and then the Merry Men can double as Rangeman security _and_ the 'FBI agents' watching the 'president'. It'd be fun. And I bet the guys would go along with it."

"You got your work done early, didn't you, Babe?"

"Yep. Can you tell?"

"Yes. Your mind has obviously been busy elsewhere. Let's head upstairs so we can get ready," Ranger said. "My mother can tolerate a lot of things, but being late isn't one of them."

"Now I know where you get it from," I told him.

I followed him into the elevator and then into the apartment. After fifteen minutes of throwing clothes around, I chose black pants and a red stretchy top. I'm going to wear as many of my form-fitting clothes as I can before they got shoved into the back of the closet for the couple of months I wouldn't be able to use them.

Ranger also chose black dress pants and paired them with a dark grey button down shirt. He still gave the impression that he can kill you if you say the wrong thing to him, but his mother wouldn't complain that he looks like a hitman this time.

"All set to go?" Ranger asked me from the doorway of the bathroom while I was adding a final coat of mascara.

This is definitely a three coat night.

"I'd say yes, but I'll be lying."

"I've told you the truth about everything else you've asked, and I'm doing it again now. You're about to make my parents very happy."

"I want to believe you, Ranger," I told him, "but I really like your family, and I don't want to do anything to make them upset with me."

"If you come with me now, I'll show you once again that I'm always right."

I smiled. I can usually count on Ranger to lessen any tension but the sexual kind.

"Fine. I'm coming. Just promise that you'll protect me if your mother tries to kill me."

"Babe."

"Is that a yes?"

"I'll _always_ protect you, even when it's not needed."

I gave him a quick hug as I passed him and went to get my bag.

The drive to Newark wasn't as long as I would have liked it to be. Ranger parked in front of the large two-story house and killed the engine.

"Breathe, Steph," Ranger told me.

"I'm trying."

He gave me a second to collect myself before we got out of the car. Ranger pulled me to his side as we walked into the house.

"Oh good, you're here," Marie Manoso said.

"We made plans to be," Ranger reminded her.

"_Yes_, but in the past, you liked to cancel at the last minute."

"I haven't canceled in a while, Mama," Ranger said, kissing her cheek.

"Stop giving Carlos a hard time," Ranger's dad, Eduardo, said. "He's changed since he met Stephanie."

"I'd like to take the credit," I told them, "but I think Ranger realized all on his own just how important family is."

"I_ am _pretty important," Diego said, giving me a blinding smile.

He never stopped playing the flirt. It would be irritating, but you can't not like Diego. He's cute and completely harmless. Ranger's_ Batman_ while Diego is more like a sexy sidekick.

"Hi, Diego," I said to Ranger's brother. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

Diego _is_ beautiful, like everyone else in Ranger's family, but he's a few years younger than Ranger in both age and life experience. He still lacked the quiet confidence that Ranger has probably had since his late teens. Diego does have plenty of confidence, but it's usually reserved for the female population of New Jersey. He hasn't found the meaning of his life yet.

"And now that I am," he said, "your day is complete, isn't it?"

Ranger punched him in the arm. Hard.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Stephanie is taken?" Ranger said to his brother.

"Until she isn't anymore," Diego answered.

"You have a long wait ahead of you then, because not only is Steph taken, she's married."

The whole room went silent. Now I know what Ranger went through at my parents' house.

"Maybe we should quickly add that I'm married to_ you_," I said, loud enough for everyone to hear me.

"You just did," Ranger told me.

"Yeah, but they're still looking at me funny. How do I make them stop?"

That snapped everybody out of their shock, and also out of their own thoughts.

"You two got married?" Ranger's mom, Marie, asked.

"Yes," Ranger said. "Yesterday morning."

Ranger ducked, but his mother still managed to clip an ear with her hand.

"See," I said, dread forming right next to the baby, "I_ knew _they wouldn't be happy about this. Parents liking me always comes with an expiration date."

Marie stopped glaring at Ranger long enough to set me straight.

"Stephanie, dear," she said, "I _am_ happy _about_, and _for_, the two of you. What I'm not happy about is that we couldn't watch our son finally marry the woman he loves."

"No one else saw us, either," I told her. "Only Tank came along."

"Ahh ..._ Pierre_," Eduardo said. "How is he?"

"He's good," Ranger told him. "And he still hates that you two continue to call him that."

"We are not calling him _Tank_. He should have come to terms with that by now," Marie said. "And you'd better tell him to stop by soon. It's already been at least a month since we've seen him. He knows better than to wait so long to visit."

"Tank's in trouble," I sang quietly to myself.

Hey, better Tank than me.

"And_ you_, young lady ..." Marie said, turning on me.

Uh-oh.

"This means there will be nomore calling me Marie or Mrs. Manoso. You are to call us Mom and Dad. Isn't that right, Eduardo?"

"Yes. Welcome to the family," he said, kissing my cheek like Ranger had his mom's earlier.

"You really are fine with us being married?" I asked, not quite trusting my ears.

I'm apparently used to my own family, because having a mother not cursing me is a new experience.

"Yes," Marie/Mom said. "Now I have_ five _daughters until Diego here matures enough to stop mooning over his brother's wife and starts looking for a nice girl somewhere else."

"I'm still young," Diego said. "I've got time before I have to get fitted for a tux and ankle shackle."

"You think that now," Marie said, "but you'll regret not getting to spend time everyday with someone who truly loves you."

"I already have that. I've got you guys. Right now I'm content to have someone just_ like _me on occasion."

I couldn't stop my eyes as they took a tour of the back of my head. Men!

Ranger's mom caught me and smiled.

"When _you_ have children," she said to me, "pray for girls. I had more problems with these two than I had with their sisters combined."

"Uhh ..." I said, looking to Ranger for guidance.

"Go for it, Babe."

"Just remember that you said you liked me, okay?" I told Ranger's family.

"What's not to like?" Diego asked.

This time Ranger's dad cuffed him. Now I understand why Ranger told me during the Ramos investigation that his family was always smacking each other. _Speaking_ is a contact sport in this house.

"One of the reasons we got married so quickly, and without too much fuss," I said, "is that I found out that I'm pregnant."

There I said it again. I also hid slightly behind Ranger and braced for the fallout. Again, no one was making noise. I peeked around Ranger's shoulder and saw his father put his arm around Marie as her eyes filled with tears.

Oh crap. I made Ranger's mom cry. That's a _huge_ no-no in the daughter-in-law handbook, I'm sure of it. She probably thinks this is a repeat of what happened with Rachel, that I ruined Ranger's life, and now they'll be stuck with me forever.

"Wait for it, Babe," Ranger said, slipping an arm around me.

Before I could ask what I was waiting _for_, Ranger's mom almost knocked him out of the way to get to me.

"You're having a baby?" She asked, wiping at her eyes distractedly.

"Yes," I said to her. "I'm only a little over a month along, but the doctor assured me that there's one in there. I should know, I asked her three separate times if she was sure."

Marie got me into a what I could only describe as a vice-like grip, and I could feel a new set of her tears against my cheek.

"I'm going to be a grandmother again," Marie said.

"Yep," I told her. "If you want to be."

"Who wouldn't want grandmother privileges?"

"You'd be surprised," I said softly, thinking of my mother's resignation.

"You just made my day," she said, clutching me tighter for a second then finally letting go. "Julie's going to have a new brother or sister. She'll be so excited. She just adores you."

"I feel the same about her. That is one amazing kid."

Ranger's dad was next to react. "Another grandchild," he said out loud, but it sounded to me like he was mostly speaking to himself. "I never thought it would come from Carlos."

"Neither did he," I said, "but Ranger is very adaptable."

"How about you?" His mom asked me. "How are_ you _feeling about this? If my memory's correct, you weren't ready for children yet ... if at all."

I've only known Ranger's mom for a short time and she picked up on what my own mother still didn't understand. But I guess she really doesn't have to understand now, since I'm having a child after all.

"I feel differently than I did when I found out, that's for sure," I told her. "_Now _... while I'm still scared, and a little anxious, I'm also curious as to what being pregnant is going to be like. And it's hard not to be a little excited knowing how happy everyone around us is. It is pretty weird, though, to know that something is growing inside me that I didn't even know was there."

"Those are all normal feelings to have," she said to me.

"That's what I hear, but I tend to react in extremes."

"We have something in common then," Marie said. "Carlos gets all his patience from his father, I'm afraid."

"He also got his good looks and charisma from me, too. Carlos would be much too pretty if he took after you Marie.

"I don't know," I said, "you both seem equally matched in both looks_ and _charisma."

They smiled at me. I'd say that I was trying to score some major points, but the reality is, I was telling the truth. Ranger's dad is just as handsome as he probably was when he first met Marie. And she's still gorgeous with thick black hair and not a single wrinkle marring her heart-shaped face even though she had to be in her fifties.

This kid is going to have some damn good genes. Hopefully the Manoso combo will overpower the Plum/Mazur ones.

"Aren't you forgetting about me?" Diego asked. "_I'm_ also really attractive and charming."

"Sure you are," I said, patting his arm like I do when I'm trying to placate Lester.

The two are eerily similar.

"You and Lester aren't related, are you?" I asked Ranger.

"No. And there are few things I'm more grateful for."

I thought that was a bit harsh, but Ranger does know him better than I do.

"You're staying for dinner, right?" Marie asked.

"That was the idea," I said to her. "I was a little afraid, though, that I might have been run out of town - or out of the family - once you found out."

"I hope you haven't been worrying yourself about that," Eduardo said.

"I've only had two days to really worry, but I made use of them."

"Stress isn't good for the baby," his mom said. "You need to work on managing it so you don't make both of you sick."

Controlling my nerves might be harder to do than the homemade baby food.

"Ranger's into this healthy living stuff. I'm sure he'll find me a peace guru, or have me start yoga or something so I don't drive him nuts."

"You can try, Babe, but I'm hard to ruffle."

No kidding.

"Well, if yoga doesn't work, you call me and I'll help you through whatever is bothering you."

"Thank you, Ma ..."

I stopped when I noticed her eyes narrow.

"What did I tell you?" She asked me.

"_Stephanie's in trouble_," Diego said, in the same annoying tone I used at Tank's expense.

I glared at him, but Marie got my attention again.

"I'm waiting," she said to me.

"Thank you, _Mom_," I told her.

"See ... that didn't hurt, did it?"

"Nope."

It felt a little weird, but also really good.

"This is what I grew up with, Steph," Ranger said, "are you ready for the same treatment?"

I looked towards his parents and Diego before answering.

"Yes. I'm looking forward to it."

"Good," Diego said. "We all love each other. Can we eat now?"

I poked him in the side. "A person after my own heart."

Ranger slung his arm around my neck, pulling me back to him, and kissed the top of my head.

"Don't let Diego think you relate at all to him, Steph, " Ranger said, "or he'll expect you to take his side anytime someone questions something idiotic he's done."

"You're just jealous that Celeste and Teresa are always defending me," Diego said to him.

"Yes, but Celia and Isabel usually agree with me."

"Looks like you're the tie-breaker, Stephanie," Ranger's dad said.

"Oh, no. I'm all about_ avoiding _family drama, not being shoved in the middle of it."

"You tell them, Stephanie," Marie said.

"Plus, I'm married to Ranger, and am having his baby, I think my loyalty should _always _be with him in just about any situation."

"He's got you brainwashed already," Diego said. "I should have known."

"I have my own mind," I told him. "_Nobody_ tells me what to think. And if I withstood years of my mother, I'm incapable of being _brainwashed_."

"Did I hit a nerve?"

"No," I told him. "You just_ tapped _one. I usually agree with Ranger anyway, so you're out of luck."

"We're going to love having you around here," Marie said to me.

"I have a feeling I'm going to love being here," I told her.

She locked her arm around mine and tugged me away from Ranger and into the kitchen.

I didn't see anyone pull out a cell phone, or make a call from the kitchen, but just as we were sitting down to dinner, the house filled with Manoso women. All Ranger's sisters who were in the area dropped by almost at the same time. This place has a better grapevine than even the Burg.

"We heard," Celia said, leaning over to give both me and Ranger a one-armed hug.

"How did you hear?" I asked. "Can this family all do the mental telepathy thing?"

"No, but Diego can text us all without anyone seeing his fingers move."

"True," he said. "Celeste should be arriving momentarily."

The front door opened and a younger version of Marie came into the dining room.

"I'm so happy for you two," Celeste said, clutching mine and Ranger's shoulders before greeting Diego and her parents. "_Surprised_, but_ very _happy. We were hoping Carlos would snap you up before that Morelli guy entered the picture again."

"You know about Joe?" I asked, stupidly hoping she said no.

"Yes. We could tell Carlos had feelings for you ..."

"And we didn't understand why he wasn't actively pursuing you," Celia said to me, "he gave us a brief description of your friendship/relationship, and Morelli's name came up."

"I was stupid back then," I said to everyone. "Joe was part of a past I hadn't been ready to let go of. I'm living in the present now, and thinking only of my future with Ranger."

"And_ the baby_," Celeste said.

"Yep ... and the baby."

"Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?" Celia asked.

"I don't know which one to hope for," I said to her. "Your mom said to pray for a girl. My dad wants a grandson. The guys at Rangeman think it's a girl. I don't think I have a preference, but I have zero experience with boys. I have all nieces."

"I have plenty of experience," Marie said. "Trust me, you want a little girl."

"We weren't that hard to take care of, Mama," Diego said.

"Your father and I were the ones who raised the two of you," she said, "which makes_ us _the authority on the subject."

The door opened again and Isabel came in. This sister could pass as Julie's twin.

"Hi, Steph," Isabel said, laying a hand briefly on my arm before kissing her parents. "I can't believe you got our Carlos to agree to get married again."

"I had to convince her," Ranger said.

"Wait, tell them all of it," I said. "I had no problem marrying you, I just didn't want you to feel you had to offer."

"That's so sweet," Isabel told us. "Teresa's on a date right now, or she would've been here, too. She's going to call you tomorrow."

"Poor guy isn't going to know what hit him," Diego said.

"He better be a gentleman or_ I'll _be the one hitting him," Ranger said.

"Like_ you're _a gentleman?" Isabel said to Ranger.

"I can be."

"Would Stephanie agree?" Celia said. "Weren't you trying to lure her away from that cop?"

"Don't ask Stephanie," Diego said to her. "She already told us that she'll be taking Ranger's side in any discussion."

"We'll see how long that lasts," Celeste said. "Once you get further along, you might just change your mind."

"I know all about hormones," I told Celeste, "and I don't think mine will ever work _against_ Ranger."

"If you say so," she said.

"Well ... this is turning into quite a family dinner, isn't it?" Marie asked, sounding pleased with everyone and everything around her.

It was. And it was also better than the family dinners I've had at my parents' house in the past. As Marie got extra plates for the girls, and they took their places at the huge table, I rested my hand on Ranger's thigh - smiling as I felt his muscle flex underneath it - and knew without a doubt that this baby isn't the only new addition I was getting to my family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks again for your reviews of Baby Steps, the PMs regarding it, and for your patience in waiting for an update. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. Anything pregnancy related is a result of online searches or people I know who've been pregnant. Anything familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 6**

I would've liked to have bitten my own tongue off, because when my pregnancy symptoms did kick in, all hormonal hell broke loose. Mary Lou was out, and the tile floor in Ranger's bathroom became my new best friend. I was never more thankful for Ella's fanatical cleaning than I have been in the last forty-eight hours. As soon as I was through apparently horking up air, I was happy just to lay my head on the cool floor and gaze at every sparkling surface above me.

A pair of Bates boots suddenly blocked my view of the underside of the vanity.

"Ranger," I said to the boots, "promise me you'll take care of the baby."

"Babe, you're not dying."

"So ... it just feels like I am? I've done nothing yet to make this kid hate me so much."

Ranger bent down and scooped me up off what I thought for sure was going to be my final resting place.

"I feel a little like crap, Ranger," I told him.

My stomach clenched, probably warning me to shut the hell up because things could be much worse.

"Make that_ a lot _like crap," I said, not wanting to back down from a threat, even if it's one from my own body.

"You did say you were anxious to experience something," he said to me. "Haven't you heard the phrase be careful what you wish for?"

"Of course, I have. And anyone who has ever said it_ suck_."

Ranger kissed the top of my head. "Ella is picking up a few things that may help with the nausea."

"Like what? I already tried eating plain crackers, toast, and drinking 'mommy margaritas'."

"Babe, you might want to stop calling them that. People could get the wrong idea."

"The drink does have most of the key margarita ingredients ... except tequila. Ground up ice and lemon water doesn't sound like something you'd want to drink, but mommy margaritas do. Even though I know it's just diluted lemon juice and ice, a fun name does help in convincing me to drink it. Why do you think Connie has so many bottles of nail polish all in the same shade of red?"

"Because she bases her purchase on what the nail polish is called instead of on the color itself?"

"Exactly," I told him.

Ranger knew what I was saying, but he doesn't understand how tricking yourself can help at all, so he let the subject drop.

"Not everything works for everyone, Steph. We'll keep trying different remedies until we find something that works specifically for you."

I sighed into his Rangeman T-shirt.

"You make it sound so easy," I mumbled.

"None of this is going to be easy, but it will be possible."

"I'll take your word for it," I told him, "because the alternative isn't very good."

"Focus on the positive, Babe."

"Right now I'm stuck focusing on the fact that there's something in here," I said, laying my hand on my stomach, "that obviously doesn't agree with my decision to eat. Or drink for that matter. Even breathing is questionable at this point."

"One good thing that has come out of this," Ranger said, looking down at my black uniform, "is that you can skip another day of work."

I'd put on my work clothes this morning in hopes of rejoining the outside world.

"Oh, I'm going downstairs," I told him. "I was just waiting for the worst to pass. I need a distraction or I'll be back on the bathroom floor."

"Working isn't going to stop you from feeling sick, Steph."

"True, but at least I won't be up here dwelling on it. I need something to do."

"Maybe I can find you something a little more interesting than background checks to do that will keep your mind off of your newest condition."

"You know, it just figures. I was always the sister with the horrible cramps, while Valerie didn't appear to have a twinge of discomfort. She was pregnant with three kids, and was eating anything and everything she wanted without any problems. I'm pregnant_ once, _and I can't even inhale air. It's a good thing we already told Vinnie about this, or he definitely would have fired me by now. A bounty hunter who can't leave the house isn't one worth paying."

And boy wasn't telling the bonds office fun. Not!

Ranger had wanted to come with me to give Vinnie the news, either to keep Vinnie from contaminating the baby, or to prevent me from strangling my cousin when he said something that would make me want to strangle him. Ranger had made a smart decision, because my hands were moving towards Vinnie throat two seconds after walking through the door.

"What the fuck is your ass doing _here_?" Vinnie asked me. "You know damn well that Angus Teevon needs to be brought in by tomorrow. What the hell am I paying you for anyway? At least when you were boffing the cop, you were here everyday. Does Ranger keep you busier in the bedroom than Morelli did?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Connie asked Vinnie. "You got a death wish or something? Ranger's gonna tear you a new asshole for talking to Stephanie like that."

"I don't know," Lula said, her eyes on me, "I think _Steph_ is gonna be the one doin' the tearing."

I would have done the honors, but Ranger had already grabbed Vinnie by the three gold chains around his skeezy little neck and shoved Vinnie into his own office. The door closed and no matter how hard we listened, we couldn't hear what was going on inside.

"I wonder if Harry will hire someone to take over the bonds office once Vinnie turns up in the dump," Connie said, "or just sell it."

"Give Batman some credit," Lula told her, "he's too smart to put Vinnie's weasely little body in the dump. He'd make him disappear for good. Ranger's probably got a whole section of Jersey put aside just for disposing of idiots like Vinnie."

"He does not," I told her, even though I thought the same thing in the past.

After a couple of minutes, I gave up on Vinnie's door. I turned to go sit in my usual seat by Connie's desk and bumped smack dab into Lula.

"Hey! What the heck?" Lula said. "You just took a chunk outta my arm. Did you finally stop gnawing on your fingernails and let the fuckers grow? If you want to pretty them up, I can get you a discount at this little place I go to now by Stark. You gotta have your gun out at all times, but they do a good job for real cheap, so I don't feel right complainin' about their neighborhood anymore."

That got Connie's attention. She knows my nails always look like shit unless I have someplace special to go. I didn't have a whole lot of time or money to spend on mani and pedi's.

"What the fuck is_ that_?" Connie asked, making a grab for my left hand.

Well, it's pretty safe to assume that the rest of the Burg will know everything by the time Ranger and I leave the office. _If _Connie and Lula could even wait that long to spill the beans. Good thing I don't care who knows now. We already told everyone we care about - my parents, Ranger's parents, and Julie all know now.

"It's an engagement ring plus a wedding band," I told her. "Ranger I got married a few days ago."

"Say what?" Lula asked. Her hands went to her ample hips, and her eyes bugged way out. "No way did my best friend tie the knot without tellin' me."

"We didn't tell _anyone_," I said, turning when Ranger came out of Vinnie's office with Vinnie slinking in behind him.

Vinnie seemed a little pale, and he wouldn't even look at me. This is the first time I'm not going to complain about someone avoiding eye contact with me.

Ranger walked over to me, wrapping his arm around my waist which made Connie and Lula take a few steps back.

"Did Vinnie learn not to be a dick anymore?" I asked Ranger.

"It's probably impossible for him not to be a dick, Babe," Ranger said to me, "but he's learned not to be one around you."

Vinnie ignored us.

"Connie," Vinnie told her, "send all Stephanie's skips to Rangeman."

"Why? Did Ranger buy the bonds office as a wedding present for Stephanie?" Connie asked.

"No," Vinnie said. "Stephanie's preggers and won't be chasing skips until the kid pops out."

Vinnie was knocked back three inches by mine and Ranger's combined smacks to his head.

"What did I just tell you?" Ranger asked him.

"That if I don't treat Stephanie with respect, I'll have a daily visit from you or your men to adjust my attitude."

"Hold up," Lula said to Vinnie, pointing one of her dark blue painted talons at him. "What did you just say?"

"Yeah," Connie added, "I know I heard that wrong. I thought you said that Stephanie's knocked up. A top secret wedding is one thing, but no way am I buying a baby on top of that."

"You heard correctly," I said to her. "I am actually pregnant."

There was a stunned silence that reminded me of when the doctor told me the same thing.

After a beat, Lula unfortunately found her voice.

"Ranger's the father right?" Lula asked. "Officer Hottie didn't sneak in one night and make a little Morelli?"

"_No!"_

Connie punched Lula in the arm. Good. Saved me the trouble.

"Like Stephanie would choose a few minutes with Hot Cop," Connie said to Lula, "when she's been getting regular supernova sex with the Cuban Sex God?"

I saw Ranger's lips twitch while I was rolling my eyes. Guess he wasn't feeling threatened by Lula's comment. Ranger knew I wouldn't let Joe anywhere near my lady parts. _One_, because I didn't want Morelli near them anymore. And _two_, that would be like signing Morelli's death certificate. I have no doubt that if Ranger found Joe acting inappropriately towards me, and thought I couldn't handle the situation on my own, the Trenton police department would be minus a detective.

"The baby is mine," Ranger said. "And so is Stephanie. Morelli can dream all he wants about both, but he'll never have what I do."

"Are you gloating?" I asked him. "We weren't expecting to get married or become parents. Well ... maybe _you_ were expecting the marriage part, since you had the rings and all, but we definitely weren't expecting a baby. And now you're bragging about both?"

"Yes," Ranger told me. "_My life _is in a good place now, and_ we're _in a good place, so why wouldn't I?"

"Especially if you get to stick it to Morelli at the same time, right?" Lula said, winking at Ranger. "That's gotta feel good after all those times you had to hear him callin' _your _woman 'Cupcake'."

"Shut it, Lula," I told her. "Joe didn't factor into any part of this."

"He will when he finds out," Connie said.

"Morelli knows," Ranger told her. "And he also knows that if he upsets Stephanie at all, he will live to regret it."

"Or _not_ live," Lula said under her breath, but I still heard.

I glared at her. Maybe I should look for some new friends while I'm out shopping for baby stuff. Ones who are quiet, respectful, and hate to gossip. Lula definitely won't be left to watch our baby unsupervised. I trusted six Lesters over one Lula.

"Morelli was at the courthouse in connection with a case when Ranger and I were there to get married. Joe was acting like a jerk so I let him have it with both barrels."

"Good for you, Steph," Connie told me. "He always acted like he owned you just because he was the first guy you scored with."

Getting nailed on the floor of the bakery should have been the first and_ last _time Joe and I were together. Okay ... the bakery incident shouldn't have happened either, but until recently, I've been an idiot when it came to men. I'm just glad I didn't get pregnant back then. I'm still scared of a baby, but at least now I'm having one with someone I love and respect. A man who loves and respects me right back. Ranger and I will be able to show this kid the difference between healthy and unhealthy, both in food and in relationships.

"Joe's in the past," I told them. "And I've got too many things on my mind to worry about what's going on in Joe's. He'll have to deal with this just like Ranger and I have. Except we've got a little something to look forward to. And unless Joe gives up on this idea he has of me, and moves on, he never will. As for my job, I'm going to be working mostly at Rangeman. Considering how accident prone I am when I go after anyone, I'm going to leave the actually captures to the guys."

"At least this way, if I have to keep you around," Vinnie said to me, "I know I'll get my skips before I have to shell out any money for them."

"You're lucky I'm crazy enough to still want to work here," I told him. "If I quit right now, and went to work full time for Ranger, you'd be left with Joyce and possibly Lula. Your capture rate would be cut in half if that happened. And I'm being_ very _generous saying it would only be halved. You'll be lucky to get one skip without a lawsuit coming right after it."

"Hey!" Lula said. "I can capture the shit outta anyone this little pervert gives me."

"What if the FTAs have cats?" I asked her. "Or if they live in crappy houses full of spiders?"

"Then Vinnie can just send in that skank Joyce to get them," Lula said. "I ain't gettin' no spiderwebs on me. I put a lot of effort into my appearance, and no way am I gonna be covered in spider shit."

"See," I said to Vinnie, "you'll be left with Joyce if I walk, so shut your pie hole."

"You tell him, Steph," Lula said.

"And that goes for _you_, too," I said to her. "No more suggesting that I'd ever sleep with Morelli again. Ranger knows that I would never go back to Joe, but the Burg would take that joke and run with it. And Ranger deserves better than that."

"And so do you, Babe," Ranger said, staring straight at Lula.

Lula gulped before quickly backtracking.

"I was only kidding," Lula told me. "You know I was just joking with you, right? Did that baby suck up your sense of humor or somethin'?"

"Could be, because everything I've let slide over the years, I suddenly feel like confronting and changing."

"You do have half of Ranger growing in there now," Connie said.

"It seems Ranger never stops influencing me," I told them. "And I think he's tag-teaming with the baby now."

I was growing up just in time.

"Babe," I heard Ranger say, his voice rumbling against my ear, "did you fall asleep on me?"

"No. But if we stay like this much longer, I might. I really don't want to move right now. Your muscles are really comfortable. Or maybe _comforting_ is the right word."

"I've got some time," Ranger told me. "What were you thinking about just now?"

"When we told Vinnie, Connie, and Lula about the baby."

"Has Vinnie given you any trouble since I spoke to him?"

"No. He's too scared that I'll tattle, so he's actually acting human now. As close to human as Vinnie can get, that is. I'm glad that Julie took the news better than the bonds office. She seemed happy for us and excited for herself."

"Rachel told me that Julie is already planning on coming to Trenton for a visit after the baby is born."

"Is Rachel okay with that idea?" I asked Ranger. "I haven't spoken with her alone enough to know if she trusts me to take care of Julie, or have her with me for an extended period of time."

"Stephanie ... Rachel, Ron, and I trusted you to get Julie away from a psychopath, so we all feel safe letting you order Julie a pizza or taking her on a shopping expedition. If you're still not convinced," Ranger said, tightening his arms around me, "Rachel told me not long ago that she's glad I finally let someone in. I'm not an easy man to be around ..."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Ranger stopped me.

"You've been the exception, Steph, but even with you I've been careful to control any unpleasant thoughts and emotions I may have. And I haven't shared the parts of my life that I think could change your opinion of me."

I guess that explained the beatings he gives the bags downstairs periodically. I wanted Ranger to come to me instead of hitting the gym, or a punching bag, but I wasn't going to force him to share something he wasn't ready to. I could, however, open the lines of communication a little.

"Ranger, it doesn't matter what you've done in the past, or what you'll have to do in the future," I told him, curving my hand along his jaw. "I'm a pretty good judge of character, and you are one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_, Ranger, will change how I see you, or how much I love you. And if you need to talk about _anything_, I'll be here to listen."

Ranger pressed a kiss to my curls just as my stomach started rolling again.

"Round fourteen," I whispered miserably, as I made a move to get off Ranger's lap.

Ranger shifted his arms around me and carried me back to the bathroom. He put me down, and pushed my hair away from my face as I crouched down again. I know women go through this everyday, and none of them are lucky enough to have a Ranger, so I shouldn't complain, but this did kind of suck. It's only been a couple of days since my morning sickness started and I was ready for it to be over. Ranger was right, though, in saying that I pretty much asked for this, so I kept my whining to myself this time.

Ranger got me a cool cloth for my face, offered me his hand, and watched as I rinsed out my mouth yet again.

"If Ella's not back by the time we make it to the kitchen," Ranger said, "I'll make a run to the natural food store and see what they have that can help."

I sighed. I'm starting to think that this man has no flaws. The only faults I'd been aware of disappeared after Ranger and I had ironed out all the stupid shit we've said to each other over the years. I considered us both intelligent people, but we were really dumb when it came to our relationship. Had we both admitted what we wanted, needed, and expected, we could've saved ourselves a lot of pain.

I didn't realize at the time how much my indecision hurt Ranger. I was so busy using the excuse that Ranger didn't want anything serious with me, I didn't see that he was waiting for me to show him that I'd be able to commit to him without running straight back to Morelli at the first hint of a problem. The way I'd always run to Ranger when Joe had ticked me off.

The first few weeks of Ranger and I seeing each were great, but I think we were both holding our breaths, waiting to see who would screw things up first. The strange thing is, we didn't. I think we figured out at the same time that what we had started is what we both wanted, and we weren't going to give each other a reason to bolt. That was big for two people who hated discussing their feelings.

"Is zoning out a common side effect of pregnancy?" Ranger asked, snapping me out of my head again.

"No. Only mine," I said to him. "Along with sore boobs, an irritable disposition, and a preoccupation with my own thoughts. Valerie still bugs the crap out of me sometimes, but I respect her a whole hell of a lot more now. She went through this_ three _times."

"Didn't Valerie tell you that her pregnancies weren't that bad," Ranger said, "only long?"

"Freakin' perfect sister," I said, mostly to myself. "Shouldn't the first kid be symptom-free so people will want to do this again?"

"Are you saying this is the only child we're going to have together?" Ranger asked, his lips curving up in a slight smile.

"Yes! I think I've said those exact words thirty five times in the last two days."

"I think the number is closer to _a hundred _and thirty five times, Babe."

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against his chest. "Have I really been that bad?"

"No. This is new to both of us, and this baby seems to have come out of the gates swinging."

"You can say that again, but I'm determined to be tougher than something the size of a lentil." I blew out a breath. "It's sad, a few weeks ago I didn't even know what the heck a lentil was," I told him.

I wanted a Boston Cream doughnut so bad my teeth hurt for all of thirty seconds before the thought of the creamy filling made my insides revolt. Maybe it's for the best. It would be a horrible waste to eat something that good only to flush it down the drain less than four minutes later.

"It's a type of legume, Babe," Ranger said, oblivious to the death of my doughnut dream.

"I know that _now_," I said to Ranger. "I don't know what's worse, yours and Ella's combined _have to eat healthy for the baby _thing, or my online searches trying to find out what's happening inside me right now."

"Maybe you should ease up on the searches," Ranger told me.

"I will. I'm starting to get paranoid about doing, or eating, the wrong thing."

"Don't," Ranger said. "You're doing great, Steph. You're being too hard on yourself."

"I don't think I am. This isn't like my job, Ranger. If I mess up during a takedown,_ I'm _the one who gets hurt. If I make a wrong decision here, this baby is the one who will suffer because of it. And I couldn't handle that kind of guilt. It's scary to know that_ I'm _the sole caretaker of this kid for months to come. You're used to that type of responsibility, being a bodyguard and all, but I'm not."

"You didn't think you could be a bond recovery agent, either, Steph, and you proved Vinnie, your mother, and yourself wrong. From the moment you decided to go after a missing Morelli, you have steadily improved."

"Because you and the guys have helped me get better. And now I'm going to have to find something else to do anyway."

"Not entirely, Steph. As soon as your stomach settles we'll discuss what else you can do for Rangeman." Ranger paused. "Ella's here."

I tilted my head. "I don't hear anything," I said to him, but I was already moving towards the kitchen.

Ranger is never wrong. He has some kind of sensors in his head - or maybe in his ears - that radars are jealous of.

"Hi, Ella," I said.

I made sure my happy face was in place before I stepped out of the bedroom since Ella's had to put up with me almost as much as Ranger has.

"Stephanie, are you feeling better?" She asked.

"Now I am. Five minutes ago was a different story."

"Ranger told me when I ran into him downstairs that you weren't doing well today, so I picked up a few things that should help," she said, holding up two grocery bags.

"You didn't have to do that, Ella," I told her. "I would have gone myself if I was sure I wouldn't be showing shoppers what I tried to eat for breakfast. Ranger was just about to go in search of a miracle cure."

"No need," Ella said to me. "I asked around - friends, relatives, anyone I know who's been pregnant - and put together a list of what helped when they were dealing with morning sickness."

"That's so nice of you, Ella. Thank you."

She smiled, but didn't seem to think making a few phone calls is as big of a deal as I did.

"I bought some rice cakes ..."

I couldn't stop the disgusted look from showing on my face. Rice cakes are the worst of all diet food.

"I see that look," Ella told me. "Don't rule them out yet. Rice cakes may not be the most delicious snack, but sometimes carbohydrates will help curb the nausea. That's why I also bought graham crackers, plain bagels, and a few potatoes to bake. All you have to do is rub them with a little oil and stick them in the oven until they're soft. And my cousin, Livia, swore that cold applesauce first thing in the morning helped her stomach. I also read somewhere that bananas and pears can help as well. Although I don't like the idea of fruit being packaged in plastic, I got you some diced pears already in cups so you'll be able to take something with you when you have to go somewhere. And the one thing that helped my sister while she was pregnant is ginger capsules."

I made another face. "Won't ginger ale do the same thing?" I asked.

I tried that already with my saltines, and neither one stayed in my stomach long enough to do anything.

"Babe, have you ever read the ingredients on a can or bottle of ginger ale?" Ranger said. "It's all high fructose corn syrup and caramel color. There isn't much real ginger inside it, if at all."

"No wonder it tastes good," I said to him.

"The best way of using ginger is to take it in powdered form," Ella said, "but I bought ginger chews just in case. They may be faster at alleviating your symptoms."

She handed Ranger the bags. After he handed me the two ginger products, Ranger put the applesauce in the fridge and unpacked the rest of the stuff, leaving the majority of it on the counter so I wouldn't have to go looking for it.

I looked skeptically at what he gave me. Well, I want to function normally, don't I? If this could help at all, I'd try it. Ranger handed me a bottle of water while I read the back of the supplement bottle. I took the recommended dosage, and although it wasn't a gingerbread cookie, it didn't make my throat close up so I took that as a good sign.

"I decided this is going to work," I said to them.

Truth is, it had to since I had nothing left to throw up.

"That's the spirit, Babe," Ranger said, sliding his arm around my back.

"Don't get discouraged," Ella said to me, "if these don't work, we'll bring out the big guns and try the potato chips/lemonade combination."

"I'll do my best not to get discouraged, and having an excuse to eat potato chips helps with that," I said, "but the thought of going through months of this is as daunting as climbing Mt. Everest to me. I don't want to spend the majority of my pregnancy inside a bathroom."

"It'll get better," Ella told me, patting my arm reassuringly. "You'll see. And as soon as you're holding this baby in your arms, you'll forget all about this part of it."

"Is that how they trick women into having more kids?" I asked. "Selective memory?"

"For some, yes," Ella told me. "I'll go get started on lunch for the men, but if you feel worse, call me and we'll try something else."

"Thanks, Ella, but you shouldn't be dealing with me on top of all your other duties."

"Stephanie, you never have been, or ever will be, a_ duty _to me. I enjoy every minute we have together. And I can't wait to meet this baby of yours."

"Oh, crap," I said to Ranger, "here comes the tears again."

"Push past them, Babe. They're happy tears and you don't need to shed them."

Apparently rolling your eyes can help keep them from leaking. Who knew?

Ella left us to go back to her apartment on six, and Ranger and I hung around the kitchen for another twenty minutes to see if Mt. St. Stephanie was going to erupt again. When it appeared that I could breathe without upsetting the force within me, I took the elevator with Ranger down to the fifth floor, armed with a fruit cup, graham crackers, and the ginger chews.

"It's about time, Steph," Lester said, when we stepped onto the control room floor. "We thought you were never coming back to work."

"I've only been out for two days, Lester," I told him. "Hopefully, I'm back. Me and the baby seem to be having a bit of a disagreement over who has ownership of my body."

"Don't be blaming the baby for anything," Lester told me. "They're supposed to be in charge."

"You're a guy, Lester, you would say that. If you were the one getting your stomach turned inside out, you'd be complaining, too."

"Who's getting disemboweled?" Bobby asked, walking over to us.

"No one, yet," I said to him. "It just felt like I was this morning, but things are a lot better now. Shit. Maybe I should knock on wood or something before I'm back on my knees again."

I realized too late what I'd said. Lester already had his mouth open to say something probably disgusting and hugely inappropriate, when Ranger gut punched him. Not hard, but Lester's mouth did close quickly after Ranger's fist connected.

"I meant kneeling in front of _a toilet_, Lester," I said, "not doing something I'd get paid twenty bucks for on Stark Street."

Ranger leaned in close. "You'd get a lot more than twenty dollars, Babe."

I narrowed my eyes warningly at Ranger as I felt my face heat up, but he just grinned. Hmm ... maybe I should ask Ranger how much I_ am _worth just out of curiosity.

"You're worth _everything_, Steph," Ranger said, his voice more serious than it was a second ago.

Apparently I'm not the only one with rapidly changing moods.

"Is everything all right?" Bobby asked, blocking out Lester, something he did regularly. "When we asked Ranger where you were, he said you haven't been feeling good. Is our girl giving you trouble?"

"A little," I said to him. "And I told you, we won't know if it's a girl for another four to five weeks."

"If you say so," Lester said, making a speedy recovery from getting the air pushed out of his lungs. "I know better than any doctor."

"Sure you do," I told him.

"And I've played plenty of 'doctor' in my day. That counts for something."

This time all three of us ignored Lester. I wonder if neutering him would actually help his behavior. After all, it works for hormonal dogs.

"Are you working today?" Bobby asked me.

"I'm going to try. Ella gave me something that seems to be helping at the moment. I'm waiting to see how well it works and for how long."

"Do you think you'll be okay for an hour?" Lester asked."Maybe an hour and a half?"

I looked at Ranger's watch. "It's been thirty five minutes so far. That's the longest I've gone since this started."

"How would you like to ride along on our takedown?" Bobby asked. "You can drive one of the vehicles and Hal can stay with you while we get the guy. It's not the same thing as making a capture yourself, but if you wanted out of the building, and some free entertainment, you can spend some time with us."

"That's got to be better than whatever you were going to do today," Lester added.

"Who's the FTA?" Ranger asked.

"Damian Voltry," Bobby said. "He's into heroin distribution, but he's not associated with the gangs in town, so he's relatively low risk."

"It'll be an easy in and out," Lester said. "Stephanie will have fun, she'll be protected, then we can all go out for lunch after."

My gut tightened. "Don't mention lunch. _Please_."

"Okay, skip lunch," Bobby said.

"You can't just not eat, Babe."

"Ranger, when has not eating_ ever _been an issue for me?"

"Never," Lester said.

I bit back a groan. "I'll take my stuff with me," I assured Ranger, holding up my snacks, "since I'm not in the mood for a meatball sub or salad right now."

"We got you, Steph," Lester told me. "We'll show you a good time without even having to buy you food afterwards."

"Thanks a lot, Lester. As soon as my stomach is no longer on a vomit timer, you owe me dinner for that comment."

Lester gave me an irritating wink. "I'm looking forward to it. So ... you coming with us?"

"Yeah. I think I am."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Ranger asked me, but I noticed his eyes were focused on Bobby and Lester.

"We'll take good care of them, Ranger," Bobby said. "Stephanie is the only one we're concerned about. If something doesn't feel right, we'll come back here and catch Voltry another time."

"Guys, that's stupid," I told them. "It's bad enough that you'll be taking an extra vehicle and Hal if I go, I'm not going to add to your caseload, too. I'll just work in my cubby today. It's not a big deal."

"Too late for a retreat, Steph," Lester said, slinging an arm around my shoulders, "we get you today. It's the least you can do for us after locking yourself in Ranger's apartment where we couldn't bother you."

"The door wasn't locked _all_ the time," I said to him.

Lester looked down at me and raised both eyebrows.

I blew out a sigh. "Okay ... so it _was _locked all the time, but I would've left the apartment if I could have."

"We know, Steph," Bobby said. "We just missed you. Hal isn't nearly as much fun as you are."

"I'm a little offended on Hal's behalf, but thank you."

Ranger removed Lester's arm from my shoulders and turned me to face him.

"If you're sure about this, I'll head out, too."

"I'll be fine. I'll have Lester, Bobby and Hal with me, what can go wrong?"

"I'd be more concerned if Brown wasn't heading up the team."

"You hear that, Hal?" Lester said to the big blonde guy gearing up. "Ranger thinks you're just as bad as I am."

Hal had been standing over by the monitors, trying real hard not to get sucked into whatever trouble Lester was creating. Hal lifted his head, and I saw that he now looked confused instead of just worried.

"Why?" He asked. "I take my job seriously."

"I think it has more to do with the amount of crap that happens when I'm with you," I told him.

"We do have a good time," Lester said.

"And this time won't be any different," Bobby said, "but we'll also be careful."

"That's what I wanted to hear, Brown," Ranger said to Bobby.

"Jeez, I'm a mess not an invalid," I told them.

"Good, because we're ready to roll," Lester said. "We don't have time to 'baby' you."

God, Lester's clean jokes are just as bad as his dirty ones.

I hurried to get my bag from the apartment and I stuffed some of what Ella bought for me into it. This is close to what I'd done for stakeouts, except now my snacks consisted of fruit instead of Tastykakes and chips. When I got back downstairs I took a couple of seconds to say goodbye to Ranger - which may have included a little tongue - and left the fifth floor with Bobby, Lester, and Hal.

"We're gonna hit this one hard and fast," Lester told me. "We're taking the surprise route today to minimize any potential problems."

"Our feet will be on the ground almost before the Tahoe comes to a complete stop," Bobby said. "This should be an easy capture, but you know better than anyone else that things can go to hell quickly. Keep your eyes open, but do not for_ any _reason get out of your vehicle."

"If this turns into a clusterfuck," Lester said to me, "and someone other than one of us is heading in your direction, you get the fuck out of there. Do you hear me?"

I could tell by the language, and his tone, that Lester really is worried about me tagging along, but was willing to let me so I wouldn't be shackled to a desk ten feet from the bathroom when I obviously needed something else to distract me.

"I hear you, Lester," I said, but I knew there is no way I'd _ever_ leave one of them behind.

That's a rule I live by even though I've never been in any branch of the service.

"You may have heard what Lester said, Steph, but you didn't agree to it," Bobby told me.

Damn. Nothing got by these guys.

"Stephanie," Lester added, "if something happened to you out there, nothing this skip, or ten of his friends, could do to us that would be worse than what Ranger will do. Look at this promise as a way of protecting us."

"I'll protect you guys _and _me and the baby. Okay?"

I thought that response was well worded. And I have every intention of doing it, too. Just not at the expense of any of them.

Lester, who had apparently been reassured by that, handed me the keys to one of the SUVs. Hal climbed into the passenger's seat of the one assigned to us and watched as I slid behind the wheel.

"Are you okay with riding along with me?" I asked Hal.

"Why wouldn't I?" Hal asked. "I like hanging out with you."

"Thanks, Hal," I said. "I like spending time with you, too."

"And for the record, I'm betting - I mean, not _literally_ betting - that you and Ranger are having a boy. I think Lester's full of crap."

"I do too, most of the time, but I still wouldn't trade Lester, or any one of you, for anybody else."

I plugged the key into the ignition and followed Lester out of the garage. I kept my eyes on the back of the black SUV in front of me for the entire drive to Mercerville. I crept up behind Lester's Tahoe as it was pulling up to a tiny, shoebox-size house on N. State Street. There were two cars parked almost on top of each other in the narrow driveway. Voltry had company. That could be a problem. I could tell by the direction of Hal's eyes that he was thinking the same thing.

Lester had been right about their approach. Their SUV stopped, Lester and Bobby jumped out and were halfway to the house before my foot even came off my brake. Lester took the front and Bobby went to cover the back door. If Tank had been here, I think he could have just picked the house up off the ground and peeked inside. The light gray house I'm looking at is actually that small.

The door opened and Lester did the standard 'bond enforcement' thing and pushed his way inside. My eye was suddenly distracted by a movement in one of the parked cars. Looks like someone never made it into the house last night. He'd been sleeping off a bender or a binge, I'd guess.

"Hal, there's someone in that car over there," I said, just as the guy spotted our caravan and jumped into the front seat of the car, presumably to get away before he was seen.

I didn't even think about it, I started my vehicle, pulled out around Lester's Tahoe, and parked lengthwise across the front of the driveway, preventing this idiot's escape. I didn't know who the guy was, but the fact that he was ready to run was enough to make my adrenaline and instincts kick in.

Hal moved similarly to the way Lester and Bobby had minutes before. He shot out of our vehicle and had the freaked out guy in cuffs seconds later. Hal brought the guy to the back of our SUV and buckled him in just as Lester and Bobby came out of the house with another cuffed guy. And here I was thinking that we were only after one guy today.

"Congratulations, Steph," Hal said through the open window of the passenger's door, "you caught our skip."

"Technically, _you_ caught him. I only spotted and trapped him."

"That's all part of the hunt," he said to me.

"So ... if your FTA is in our backseat, who's that guy?" I asked, nodding towards Lester and Bobby.

Hal didn't seem to know either, so we waited for Bobby to come over to us while Lester secured the new guy.

"You got Voltry," Bobby said to us. "How?"

"He was passed out in the Mustang," Hal told Bobby. "Stephanie spotted him when he was waking up."

"So you caught our FTA without even trying?"

"It appears so," I told him. "What's up with dickhead number two?"

"He's a recurring pain in my ass," Bobby said. "I told Apollo that if he got in my face again, I was going to haul his ass in. He just made my day by being in the wrong place at the right time for me. We get to lock this fucker up this time."

"You have a history with him?"

"Went to school with his older brother," Bobby told me. "He's a dick, too."

"Does this Apollo guy have a warrant out on him?"

"Yes. That's why we took longer. I didn't want this trip to be a complete waste of time, so when I didn't see Voltry anywhere inside, I called Gene in the control room to see if there was anything we could nail Apollo's ass on."

"So we got two morons for the price of one?"

"Something like that," Bobby said to me. "See, it's a good thing you're here with an extra vehicle, I wouldn't want these two riding together. Are you ready for a trip to the station?"

"Yup," I said. "But there's something I need to do first."

"What?" Hal asked.

Instead of answering, I opened my door and threw up the water I drank all over N. State Street.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks again for all your reviews, comments, and suggestions regarding Baby Steps. I know less about pregnancies - never mind difficult ones - than I do about catching criminals, but I tried to make this chapter as realistic as I could while still keeping with what I wanted to write for this story. In the next chapter I'm going to focus less on the symptoms and get back to Ranger and Stephanie's everyday life. Anything familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine.**

**Chapter 7**

A week later, I was standing in the middle of my apartment with a few of my favorite Rangemen. I wanted to get my stuff packed up before I started feeling worse, since Ranger was clear about not wanting to move into my grungy little place, and the guys had offered to help so I could have it all done in an hour or two. Ranger had a meeting with one of his partners today, but he sent Tank as a replacement. While there is no replacing Ranger, Tank _can_ carry a shitload of stuff.

The guys have all been great since they found out I was pregnant, but they've surpassed even Ranger's expectations in the past week. The day after my watery contribution to their takedown, Hal had gone out special to get me one of those motion sickness bracelets to wear because he thought it could help combat the queasiness. And Bobby had found something called Preggie Pops for me to try, too. I thought they were another gag gift - like the onesies Lester bought - but these turned out to be a real product.

We were about halfway through deciding on what crap to keep and what really should've been trashed a long time ago. If I'd cared at all about my apartment in the past, packing probably would've gone a lot faster. Aside from a few things my family gave me, I really didn't have much worth moving to Ranger's. I looked around the living room and grimaced. Even though Dillon had cleaned the place up after every disaster that had followed me here, the thought of a baby crawling across this particular carpet made me cringe.

"Steph," Lester said, "I've done a lot of 'redecorating' for Ranger in the past, and I don't claim to know shit from chandeliers when it comes to fixing up a place - except for stocking the fridge with beer - but you should seriously think about putting a match to everything in here and starting over."

Hmm, that's an idea. I can blow up stuff _on purpose _this time.

"That is something to think about, Lester," I told him. "Too bad we're past the Fourth of July. We could have added fireworks to the bonfire and really celebrated."

"We can still do that," Tank said. "You don't need a holiday to have a good time."

"As long as the good time involves a fire and explosions, right?"

"Are there any other kind, Steph?" Bobby asked.

"Yes," I said. "Ones with cake."

"We'll go right now and get you the biggest freakin' cake we can find if you tell us you feel like eating one," Lester said, scanning my face.

I sighed. "Not today," I told him, and I swear their shoulders all slumped.

I've been approaching morning sickness like I would a skip. Cautiously, with a little bit of information, and a_ ton _of prayers.

"Things will get better guys. That's what Ella keeps telling me. And you know she's like Ranger and is _never_ wrong."

"It'd better improve damn fast," Lester said. "We don't like seeing you like this."

"Well, at least we know this has a definite end date. It can't possibly last more than nine months."

"Not funny, Steph," Tank said.

"I thought it was," I told them. "I read that things calm down in the second trimester, so I just have to tough it out for another month and a half or so."

"That's too long," Bobby said.

"I don't have a choice. If I want this baby, I guess I'm going to have to work a little for it." I blew out a sigh. "But right now, I'm going to tackle my closet since it's close to the bathroom. If you need me ..."

"We'll handle everything else, Steph," Tank told me.

I managed to get all my shoes boxed up before I had to make a run for the bathroom. I waited a good five minutes afterwards before moving just in case I had to repeat it. When everything appeared to be settled again, I went back to my bedroom, picked up the lightest of the boxes, and joined the guys again.

"Are you okay?" Bobby asked me, checking me out like Lester had done earlier. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, but I can feel a headache coming on. It's a good thing we're just about done, isn't it? I'm going to go put this," I said, holding up the cardboard box full of my FMPs, "in my car. The fresh air will help."

"Do you want one of us to go with you?" Lester asked me. "Or better yet, I'll bring it down instead."

"I'll be okay. The sooner everything is packed," I said to him, "the sooner I can go home and take a nap. I always thought it was skanky to be sleeping with the boss in order to keep a job, but right now I'm glad that I am."

"_Skanky_ is the last word anyone would use to describe you, Stephanie," Tank told me.

"Thanks, but I'm starting to feel a little useless."

"Once this passes, you'll be back to busting our balls," Lester assured me.

That made me smile. "You'd better stop at a store on the way home and buy yourself a cup then," I told him, feeling my mood lighten. "I'll be right back."

I took the elevator down to the lobby, and balanced the box on my arm as I pushed open the door to my building. As soon as I stepped out into the semi-bright sunlight and moved to the Cayenne, I saw Joe's SUV parked a few cars over from Bobby's truck.

I unlocked the Porsche and dumped the box in the trunk before crossing the lot to Joe's vehicle. I'd rather find out what he wants and quickly move him on his way before Tank or Lester saw him.

When I'd just about reached his parking spot, Joe let go of what looked like a tight grip on the steering wheel and climbed out to meet me.

"What are you doing here, Joe?" I asked him.

"I don't really know," he told me. "Just torturing myself, I guess."

"Why?"

"Believe it or not, Cupcake, I did see us spending the rest of our lives together. Which included you packing up your things - like you're doing today - but moving them into_ my _house permanently."

"You had a funny way of achieving that," I told him.

Listening to me at least part of the time would've done wonders for our relationship. Respecting me would have also helped. Not that I cared now. If I would've stayed with Joe any longer, I wouldn't have the life I now have with Ranger. So maybe I should be thanking Joe for being an uncompromising jackass.

"I know I jumped down your throat ..."

"You think? It got so bad that I couldn't even sneeze without you telling me I was doing it wrong."

"Steph ..."

"No, Joe, there's no excuse for the way I treated you, or the way you've treated me. We should have left what we had between us on the bakery floor and forgotten all about each other afterwards."

"You don't mean that, Steph," Joe said.

"Yeah, I do. We both deserved a lot better than what we gave each other," I told him. "I _have_ found something better, and now you're finally free to do the same."

"But I don't want to find something else," Joe said to me. "I know it'll be difficult at first, Cupcake, but you don't have to stay married to Manoso just because of a baby. Valerie managed to live through a similar scandal, and you could, too."

"Stop, Joe," I said to him, holding up my hand. "You should know better than anyone that I wouldn't marry someone unless I really wanted to. You need to understand that and move on. I'm not yours, Joe. Truth is, I've _never_ been yours. I'm happy with Ranger. And now that I've gotten used to the idea of me and Ranger having a kid, I wouldn't change how things have turned out. And I'd like for you to be able to experience the same thing."

"But we could've had that together, Steph."

I blew out a breath. He wasn't getting it.

"No, we couldn't, Joe. The sooner you accept that, the happier you'll end up being."

"Cupcake ..."

I don't know what he was about to say because I suddenly felt light-headed. I opened my mouth to say something to Joe, but everything went dark.

When I came to, I saw Tank taking a swing at Joe's midsection.

"Tank, leave Joe alone and call Ranger," I said, blinking up into the afternoon sun.

"Stay the fuck away from her," Tank ordered Morelli, before bending down to where I'd landed.

What the heck happened? I asked myself. I felt a little dizzy, and my head was a bit woozy, but I didn't feel like I was about to pass out. The only times I've been unconscious that haven't included sleep, was when I'd gotten stunned or drugged. And I'm pretty sure Joe wouldn't sink _that _low.

"I called Ranger as soon as we saw Morelli," I heard Lester say.

Oh shit. Now I have to worry about protecting Joe on top of something being wrong with the baby.

"Ranger will be here in under five minutes," Tank said over his shoulder to Joe, while sliding his arm underneath me. "I suggest you get your ass out of here before he shows up, or your mama will have to scrape you up off the pavement before she buries you."

"Give me a fucking break," Joe said, still doubled over with an arm wrapped protectively around his middle. "I wouldn't hurt Stephanie even if she does have the devil's seed growing inside her."

"When my head stops spinning," I told Morelli, "I'm going to smack you myself for that comment."

"Allow me," Bobby said, eating up the ground between the lobby doors and where we were.

"No," I said to Bobby. "Joe's not to blame for this."

"Why is he here?" Tank asked, helping me to my feet, but keeping his huge arm around my waist so I wouldn't go down again.

"I obviously lost my fucking mind for a minute," Joe said, standing completely upright now, but still holding his stomach.

Joe is a formidable opponent in his own right, but I could understand his pain. Tank's fists are the size of friggin' dinner plates.

Lester and Bobby each moved to Joe's side, caging him in while Tank questioned us.

"You're going to lose a lot more than your mind," Tank told Joe, "if you don't tell me what the fuck went on here."

"Tank, this isn't Joe's fault. And I'm not sure what happened," I said to him, closing my eyes before immediately popping them open in case everyone thought I was feeling worse than I actually am. "I came downstairs and saw Joe. We talked for a minute and then I felt weird, followed quickly by feeling _nothing_."

"Did you eat something before we left Rangeman?" Tank asked.

"Yeah," I told him, "but you know how that's been going. I'll be fine in a minute or two."

"No. You're done for the day," Tank said. He shifted me a little to look at his watch. "Ranger should be turning onto your street right now, you can go home with him and we'll take care of everything here. Brown, go get Steph's things."

"Stop doing that freaky GPS thing," I said to Tank, even as I turned in the direction of a fast moving truck. "It's accurate, but friggin' creepy. And really, I could've gotten my own bag. You don't have to bark orders at Bobby."

"Babe, what happened?" Ranger asked as soon as he removed me from Tank's hold, putting his own arms around me.

Ranger scanned all our faces, thoroughly taking in everything. And his eyes narrowed fractionally at Joe before coming back to my face.

"I'm not sure," I said.

"Tank?"

"Steph went to bring something down to her car," Tank told him. "When she didn't come back after a couple minutes, we went looking for her. I spotted Morelli right before I saw Steph collapse."

Ranger took a threatening step towards Joe. I grabbed his hand and stopped Ranger before he got within punching distance. I have no doubt that if I wasn't standing between them, Joe would be _really_ suffering right now.

"You can think what you want to about me, Manoso," Joe told Ranger, "no other opinion of me matters less, but I draw the line at _anyone_ thinking I'd harm Stephanie."

"You've done plenty of damage to her in the past," Ranger said.

"What the fuck are you talking about? I never touched Stephanie in anger."

"Not all abuse is physical, Morelli," Ranger told him.

This had potential to go really wrong, really fast if I didn't stop it.

"I'm just as much to blame for our past," I told them both. "And I think it's time we all stop revisiting it."

Ranger was still looking at Joe, doing his scary _you're lucky there are witnesses _stare.

I wrapped my arm around Ranger's and made him look at me. His eyes immediately softened, then filled with concern.

"How are feeling, Babe?" He asked, tucking a curl behind my ear with his fingertips.

"I'd be better if you two weren't acting like you'd like to rip each other's face off."

"Ripping someone's face off is messy, Steph," Ranger told me. "I'd rather just put a bullet in his head and be done with it."

"It's bad enough that your goon just assaulted a police officer," Joe said, once again not realizing when to stop talking, "now you're threatening to shoot me?"

"Yes," Ranger said.

"_Ranger_ ..."

Ranger looked down at me and grinned.

"You're lucky I don't haul both you and Goliath in," Joe told Ranger.

"I could use a laugh today," Tank said to Joe. "Go ahead and try. I'm sure Juniak would love to hear that you were harassing a pregnant woman."

"He wasn't harassing me," I told them. "I felt crappy, but this time Joe had nothing to do with it."

"Cupcake ..."

"Joe," I said, "I think you should go before these guys get angry. It's been a bad week."

Joe smirked at Ranger. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Don't you wish, Morelli," Ranger said to him.

"Not with_ Ranger and I, _Joe. With _morning sickness_."

His eyes moved to my stomach, and I saw something that looked a lot like regret on his face before the inscrutable cop one took over.

"How bad?" He asked me.

"_Bad_," I said, starting to feel the ache in my head increase.

Without thinking about what I was doing, I lifted my hand to rub my temple.

"This is it, Babe. We're calling the doctor and finding out what we can do to fix this. I'm sure you can find your way home, Morelli."

Ranger circled my waist with an arm, and rested his hand on my hip, steering me towards his truck. He lifted me up into the seat, closed the door, and went around to the driver's side. I looked through the back window and watched Tank, Bobby, and Lester standing with their arms crossed, watching Joe climb into his vehicle and drive off. Looks like they'd been ready to make sure Joe left one way or another.

Ranger angled behind the wheel, and after taking a water bottle from the backseat and putting it in my lap, he handed me his cell.

"Call Dr. Klenshir, Steph," he said. "Or I will."

I knew that tone. I quickly called the office and told the receptionist what had happened. I was surprised when I was given an appointment for five minutes from now.

"While I appreciate the quick service," I told Ranger when I hung up, "it can't be good to get an appointment that fast."

"Steph, your nausea is getting worse with every day."

"That's normal for some women," I said. "Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to be one of them."

"You and the baby are at risk if this doesn't let up," Ranger told me. "I'm going to take you to get looked at and then we're going to talk about what Morelli was doing at your apartment."

Crap.

"He really wasn't doing anything, Ranger, except for maybe rethinking his future."

"After we know for sure that you and the baby are all right, you can tell me what Morelli had to say."

"Fine," I said, letting my head fall back against the headrest, "but it's not that interesting."

"I'll be the judge of that, Babe."

He started his truck and pulled up to where Tank was standing.

"Steph's doctor told her to come in now," Ranger told Tank, "so I'm going to take her. You can finish up here."

"No problem," Tank said, passing my bag through the window. "Santos can drive her car back." His eyes landed on me before meeting Ranger's again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let her leave without one of us."

"She's not a prisoner, Tank," Ranger told him. "Steph can come and go as she pleases."

I didn't like Tank feeling responsible for anything I did. I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned around Ranger so I could talk directly to Tank.

"Tank,_ I _don't even know what's going to happen or when, so I don't want you and the guys blaming yourselves for any of this. "

"I saw that you were pale ..."

I laughed. "I _started_ at pale, Tank. I thought going outside would make me feel better. That was my choice. The only thing you could have done by coming with me was to catch me instead of Morelli." That made me pause for a beat. "You aren't going to get in trouble for this, are you? You did hit a detective."

"He deserved it," Tank said to me.

"But ..."

"Tank will be fine, Babe. You should spend more time worrying about yourself instead of other people."

I sat back in my seat and put my seatbelt back on.

"What can I say, I'm a nice person."

"You _are, _Steph," Ranger said, "but that's proving to be a problem."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything else. Truth is, I'm concerned, too. I was doing everything that I thought I was supposed to, and I still couldn't shake this. I tried eating better and smaller. I'm not putting myself in any dangerous situations. And I'm doing a respectable job of listening to people who know more than I do. But none of that seems to be helping.

"We should be back at the Rangeman building within the hour," Tank said to us. "And we want to know what you find out."

"Will do," Ranger told him.

After one palm pound to the side of Ranger's open window, Tank walked back into my apartment building.

Ranger pulled out of my lot, and a few minutes later we were headed down Hamilton towards the building Dr. Klenshir's office was in.

Ranger, of course, found a space right next the door. His parking luck rivaled his green light luck. I always hoped if Ranger and I were together long enough, that luck - if nothing else - would rub off on me. So far it hasn't.

We got out and I immediately reached for Ranger's hand. I went from being a little worried, to now being scared. I wanted our baby to be completely fine. I know I'd been fighting it in the beginning, but I feel like I might be ready to be a mom now. And I didn't want to fuck up before I even got started.

Ranger and I took the elevator to the second floor, and the same woman who'd witnessed my breakdown a few weeks ago was sitting behind the check-in window.

"Ms. Plum," she said, smiling at me. "Dr. Klenshir wants you to go on back."

Like last time, I didn't bother correcting her as to my marital status, since this time I actually _am _a Mrs. Somebody. I took a deep breath and reluctantly let go of the death grip I had on Ranger's hand.

"Thank you," I calmly told the woman.

I wanted to give her a different impression of me this time ... like that I wasn't insane.

"I'll be right here, Babe," Ranger told me, kissing the top of my head.

I tried to smile, but I ended up biting my lip instead. I really didn't want to be here.

I took the same route as I did the last time, and found Dr. Klenshir in the examining room we'd used not that long ago.

"Stephanie," she said, looking up when she saw movement, "I hear you're not feeling so good."

Just as she said that, I felt dizzy again. I put my hand out a little so I could catch myself if I needed to, and walked into the room, closing the door behind me. Time to man up and figure out how to deal with this.

"You could say that," I said to her. "I've been feeling sick constantly. I throw up regularly. And I might have just passed out a little."

Her eyebrow raised.

Damn, how come everyone on earth can do that except me?

"How do you pass out_ a little_?" She asked, as she motioned me towards the table.

She strapped on a blood pressure monitor while I was thinking about my answer. When it was done squeezing the life out of my arm, she removed it, her expression hard to read.

"Your pressure is lower than I'd like," she said. "I'm going to take some blood, and have you give a urine sample. Faintness combined with headaches, can be nothing more than dehydration ..."

"But I'm drinking as much as I can," I said, feeling like I should defend myself.

Everything I've read or heard, I do. I exercise when I'm able to. Lard and sugar aren't the base of my food pyramid anymore. And I've been thinking through every action before doing anything work related. That should count for something, right?

"I'm sure you are doing everything you can, but if you're vomiting more than you're eating or drinking, all the water in the world won't make a difference."

She even made me step on the freakin' scale I hated, but for the first time, I wasn't happy to hear that I'd lost a pound.

"What has changed in your diet since I've seen you last?" Dr. Klenshir asked.

"I've been eating healthier than I ever thought possible, but it's limited to what I can keep down," I told her. "In the last week or two, I've only managed a portion of what I'd normally eat, which I thought could be a good thing since I usually eat until I can't move."

"That's not good, Stephanie."

"I know. I really am trying to do everything right, and it still doesn't seem like enough."

"Let me run a few tests and see if we can figure out exactly what's going on."

I peed in a cup, had blood drawn, and answered some more questions while the samples were taken to the in-house lab. When Dr. Klenshir talked about doing an ultrasound to check to see if multiple babies could be the cause of the severe nausea, I asked if Ranger could come in for that. That way if I blanked out, at least one of us will know exactly what the doctor had said. Plus I needed him with me. It's scary how much I depended on him. Not so much for myself, but for the baby.

"Mr. Manoso," Dr. Klenshir said, holding out her hand to Ranger when he stepped through the door. "It's nice to meet you."

"How is she?" Ranger said, glossing over the pleasantries.

"Everything looks good," she told both of us. "I want to do an ultrasound just to rule out any fetal abnormalities, and see if Stephanie carrying more than one baby is the reason for the excessive vomiting."

I saw Ranger go still. Hah. My big, bad boyfriend - I mean_ husband, _I'll get used to that eventually - is also terrified of having more than one kid. It was wrong, I know, but I felt a lot better about myself at that moment.

"Twins?" Ranger asked.

"It's possible," Dr. Klenshir told him, before turning to me. "I don't like the fact that you're losing weight, and that your blood pressure is a little low while your pulse is fast, but both of those could be caused by the vomiting, and also the stress of worrying about when you're going to be sick again. Not to mention being dehydrated, which you _are_. We need to get that under control so you don't end up in the hospital attached to an IV."

I felt Ranger go from _still_ to_ tense _next to me. I automatically reached for him at the mention of the dreaded 'H' word.

"How do I stop that from happening?" Ranger asked, squeezing my hand.

If it could be at all prevented, Ranger was going to see that it was.

"I don't like prescribing drugs unless it's a last resort ..."

"Good, because I won't take any unless I'm forced to," I told her.

A beer or two, a glass of wine, or aspirin is all I'm willing to put in my body. I needed it fully functioning to process all the carbs and fat that were common in my old diet.

"The results of your tests all came back normal," she told me. "At the moment, since there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with you, I think we can get a handle on this with a few dietary changes and adding a B6 supplement. But if you don't see any improvement, or start to feel worse, you need to call me immediately and we'll try one of the anti-nausea drugs."

She gave us an information sheet on something called hyperemesis gravidarum, which included symptoms, tips that could lessen them, and foods to try.

"Wait ... I don't have this, do I?" I asked. "I only have morning sickness. The same as every other pregnant woman on the planet."

"This is a more extreme version of typical morning sickness, Stephanie," Dr. Klenshir told me. "On the lesser end of the spectrum ... just a change in diet can help."

"And the other end of the spectrum?" I asked her.

"Anti-nausea drugs, and possible hospitalization if symptoms become too severe to treat on your own."

I tried to give the paper back to her. "I don't want to have this," I told her.

Ranger took the paper out of my hand instead of the doctor. "You may not want this, Babe," he said, "but you might have to deal with it anyway."

"That's a good attitude to take," the doctor said. "Some women have even claimed that once they consciously decided to keep a positive outlook regarding this, their symptoms were less severe."

I thought that was a load of crap.

"Now let's see what's going on inside there," she said, lubing up my belly with the coldest substance known to man.

Shit, I'd have to remember not to say that anywhere near Lester. Lord knows what sick scenario he'd come up with that involved belly lube.

"Will we be able to see if it's a boy or girl?" I asked her.

"It's too early to tell," the doctor said, "but we should have a better idea as to the gender in another month. Right now I'm only looking for a heartbeat, more than one fetus, and anything that looks abnormal."

She moved the thing across my stomach, and we held our breaths until we all saw a steady heartbeat.

"Okay, I'm not an expert on this," I said to the doctor, looking at the screen, "but there's only one thumping spot, right?"

"Yes," she told me.

Ranger and I both relaxed. I said I was ready to try my hand at being a mom, but not to more than one kid at the same time.

"The heartbeat is strong, and there isn't anything that shouldn't be there at this stage."

"How can you tell?" I asked. "It doesn't even remotely look like a baby."

"That's what they teach us in medical school," Dr. Klenshir said. "How to survive on only Diet Coke and vending machine food, and how to spot a hydatidiform mole on something that looks like a kidney bean."

Dr. Klenshir's bedside manner, and similar sense of humor, is why I'd stuck with her as my GP despite her having a connection to the Burg.

"A what mole?" I asked her.

"A mass or growth that forms inside the womb that is a sign of what we call a molar pregnancy. Luckily, you don't have to worry about that, because I don't see one. What I do see is a typical, healthy, happily growing fetus."

"Hey, there is going to be nothing_ typical _about our baby."

"I have a feeling everyone is going to second that," Ranger said, still looking at the monitor.

Ranger had been overseas during most of Rachel's pregnancy, so going through this is just as new to him as it is to me.

Dr. Klenshir put down the wand-looking thing and wiped the goop off my stomach.

"Okay, I think we're done here. I want you to make an appointment on the way out for a week from now," she said, shaking my hand. "But if you keep vomiting continually in the next day or two, I want to see you back here, appointment or not."

"I'll make sure she follows through on that," Ranger said.

"Jeez, Ranger, I'm not two. I can keep an appointment, especially if it's about the health of our baby."

The doctor smiled at me, before turning to Ranger.

"It was nice meeting you," she told him. "Having a supportive partner also helps tremendously with this."

"You can't get a more supportive guy than Ranger," I told her.

"Good. I'll see you both in a week then. Don't take this personally, but I won't hope for sooner."

"We'll be here," Ranger said, handing me my shoulder bag.

"Thanks, Dr. Klenshir," I told her.

We followed her out, and after making the promised appointment, Ranger and I took the elevator back down to his truck.

We made a stop on the way back to Rangeman, picked up the vitamins and a few of the different snacks that had been suggested, and also something to drink for the ride home that wasn't water. First I think I'm supposed to eat carbs, now it could be protein that might help. This kid is definitely Ranger's. Why can't double chocolate brownies be the solution to all of this? I wasn't holding my breath that I'd be completely functioning after taking a vitamin and eating nuts and berries, but I'm still open to_ any _and _all _suggestions to avoid serious drugs or the hospital.

When we pulled into the garage of Ranger's building, Tank, Bobby, and Lester were standing there by the elevator. I had a major feeling of deja vu from when we'd left them in my parking lot, and before that to the day we had gotten married.

I grabbed my shoulder bag and the store bag, and Ranger was already at my side of the truck waiting for me. I bet this is just a small preview as to how things are going to go when the baby gets here.

"And?" Tank asked, when we were within talking distance.

"I'm suffering from morning sickness," I told him.

"Steph, don't try to minimize it," Ranger said to me. "This is worse than what most women go through. The doctor said so herself."

"Yeah, but I'm tough," I told them all to keep them from worrying too much about us. "Me and the baby are going to work as a team now, and we'll survive."

All the guys still seemed convinced that I was going to collapse at any moment. I hated that I was putting them all through this. Everyone should be excited, not scared shitless every time they see me.

"And guess what?" I said, trying to cheer them up. "We saw the baby's heartbeat today."

They visibly brightened after hearing that.

"Is it a boy or girl?" Lester asked.

"We don't know yet, he or she still looks like a bean," I told him. "But we did find out that there's only _one _baby in here."

Now they were back to looking dejected. Jeez, they're worse than a pack of soon-to-be grandmothers.

"The doctor did say that the baby looks good," Ranger added, his lips curving up slightly at their disappointment.

"What about all the throwing up?" Bobby said after a minute.

"I'm going to have to make a few minor adjustments and then I'll be good as new. I promise. Look at this as me working out a few kinks in a new security system."

Ranger's eyes had stayed on me ever since we got out of the truck, and I know he's going to do everything he can to assist me in keeping this baby healthy.

Bobby and Lester didn't look like they believed me, but Tank was willing to let me pretend a little longer.

"We put everything upstairs," Tank told us. "The few pieces of furniture you wanted to save, I had Brown put in one of the storage rooms next to the gun range."

"And I stand by my original statement," Lester said to me. "I still don't think you should have kept any of it."

"You know Ranger would buy you something better to swap out for it," Bobby added.

"He doesn't have to swap out anything," I told Bobby. "I didn't need what I dumped. And I only kept the things that mean something to me. Ranger wouldn't be able to replace something from Grandma Mazur, even if I subconsciously want him to."

"You can keep whatever you want, Babe, and put it where ever you want to."

"Looks like all you have to do is get pregnant with Ranger's baby," Lester said to me, "and you get free run of the place."

Bobby shot him a look. "Steph has had complete access to everything here since the day she walked into the building," he told Lester after a slap to his head.

It seemed to me that they needed babysitters more than either me or the baby ever could.

"I was just about to invite you all up to seven to help get Steph settled," Ranger said, causing me to glance over at him. "But you just lost your invitation, Santos."

Ranger _never_ has anyone in his apartment except for Ella or Tank if something was going on. Before me, Ranger kept his personal and business lives separate. If he wanted company, he went to the control room or the gym. Ranger visited his parents' house instead of them coming here. Even in the beginning of our friendship, Ranger always came to me until the Slayer threat was made public and I finally found my way to him. Since then, I've come straight to Rangeman for everything from a job, to round-the-clock protection. And now I have those _plus_ Ranger.

"You want us to hang out?" Lester asked Ranger. "In your apartment?"

"I said I was _going_ to let you," Ranger said, "but since you're acting like a dick, I'm rethinking letting you inside."

"Why?" I asked.

"I told you, Babe. He's being a dick."

"Lester's _always _a dick," I said, making Lester glare at me. "I mean, why do the guys get to come up with us now?"

"One because they're free labor," Ranger told me. "And I think you could use the extra company to keep your mind off of worrying. Also when the baby comes - unless I add more security to our floor - everyone is going to be making countless excuses to come up. At least this way, there's a chance you'll feel better and I can set the rules early on."

I smiled at Ranger. Then I kissed him.

"Get your butts in the elevator guys before Ranger changes his mind," I told them, trying to shoo over six hundred pounds of muscles towards the opening doors.

"It's now _your_ place, too, Steph," Bobby said. "You can invite anyone over that you want to."

"That's true, but I know how important Ranger's privacy is to him and I won't intrude on it."

"You don't intrude on _any part _of my life, Babe. But these guys have all the potential to."

"You know damn well that we have to play nice," Tank said to him, "or you'll hog the baby. Some of us might want to get in a little playtime, too."

"Yup," I said to Tank, "I've known all along that you're just a big 'ol softy."

"Whatever," Tank said, but he did join us, Bobby, and Lester inside the elevator.

Although I wasn't feeling one hundred percent, I was too happy to care. If I threw up again, I'd just do it quickly and get back to the party. Ranger just may be onto something here.

I fit my back to Ranger's front and hit the button for seven, leaning back against him as the elevator climbed.

We all got off in the lobby of the seventh floor and Ranger unlocked the door and let everyone in. I chose to stay at the back of the line and let the guys go in ahead of me just so I could fully appreciate the moment. Ever since Ranger showed a personal interest in me, I've tried to picture how our everyday life would play out if we ever managed to get together, and never did I see us married, having a baby, and hanging out with his men in 'our' apartment.

"What are you doing, Babe?" Ranger asked me.

I turned my head and met his dark eyes head on. "I'm enjoying a moment."

"You'll enjoy it a lot more if you actually go inside."

"Probably. Listen Ranger, I'm grateful for everything that you're doing for me, but I don't want you to feel like you're giving up your life for us."

"I'm not giving it up, Stephanie," Ranger said, tugging me to him and into the apartment, "I'm _expanding_ it."

We met the guys in the living room, and as I got settled on Ranger's couch in between Bobby and Lester, I looked over to where Ranger was standing talking to Tank. It finally hit me what Ranger has been saying all along. Just because you weren't expecting something to happen, doesn't mean you can't welcome it with open arms when it did.


End file.
